My mom Cheryl Maxwell is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She is 57 years old and has recently been diagnosed with ALS, a devastating and progressive disease. She also suffers from OPCA, a rare neurological condition that affects movement, balance, and coordination. These diagnoses have completely changed her life-and the lives of all of us who love her.

For her entire adult life, my mom has been a caregiver.

She raised my brother and I with unwavering love and dedication. She lovingly cared for each of our 3 children while we worked. She spent years caring for her father and uncle through serious illness until their passing. She has been the primary caregiver for my grandmother who also suffers from OPCA. She stood by my dad during his long battle with drug addiction, never giving up on him. Today, because of her strength and commitment, he is clean and sober. Later, she did the same for my brother, supporting him through addiction until he, too, reached sobriety.

She never turned her back on anyone. Not once.

Even as her own health declined, she continued to put others first-until her body simply could not anymore. And now, the roles have painfully reversed.

My mom spends a great deal of time in and out of the hospital. She struggles with severe anxiety on top of her physical limitations. She can no longer care for herself the way she once did and the financial strain on our family is becoming overwhelming.

Her support system is stretched thin:

    •    My Dad has been unable to work because he must be at home to care for her or at the hospital with her; they are currently in the middle of a 2 week stay. They are not yet at retirement age and the loss of his full time income has created an immediate financial strain.

    •    I have 3 young children and am driving 45 minutes each night to relieve my dad at the hospital or stay with my grandma. I leave early in the morning to get home so my wife can get to work and I can get my kids on the bus. I get a few hours of sleep, get them off the bus and the routine starts over.

    •   My grandma, who also has OPCA, is doing what she can despite relying on a walker and wheelchair.

Even with everyone’s best efforts, we are beyond capacity-emotionally, physically and financially. We are strong, but our village is small.

Any support, whether through a donation or sharing this page, would mean more than we can put into words and would help carry us through an incredibly difficult time.