Support Betty's Parents' Medical Journey

My name is Betty and I am reaching out to kind hearted people who can help me with this medical journey toward assisted living support.

This past year has been the most difficult of my life filled with sadness, pain and devastating loss. Navigating these emotional waters I had to also counter anxiety, depression, insomnia and stressors on a scale I had not been familiar with previously.

My mother, Alicia, lost her 2 older brothers and my father, Bercu, lost his younger brother who was like a second dad to me, all within a 5 month time span. I lost 3 of my 4 dear uncles.

This came on the heels of my mother's half a dozen hospital admissions in 2 years.

Both my parents have been very ill over the last 5 years suffering with multiple chronic conditions including heart failure, COPD, liver issues, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes which has recently manifested into excruciating diabetic wounds requiring daily wound nurse care for both my parents. Both have also fallen and injured themselves numerous times this year.

They have also been experiencing progressively worsening depression and lack of appetite which has led to extreme weight loss and further frailty.

My father, a Holocaust survivor born in Romania in 1936, has been the primary caretaker for mother the last few years while she has been in declining health. This has taken a big toll on him and he himself now requires full time caretaking including meal prep, groceries and laundry as well as physical therapy to strengthen his legs after his own stay at the hospital where he was incredibly ill.

I live in Florida and my parents live in Toronto, Canada and I have been flying back and forth 6 times this year to be able to help them and to offer support during shiva and extended periods of morning at the loss of our dear family members.

I have been paying for private nursing care and personal support care all year for my parents as the government funded care in Ontario is limited. They barely provide an hour of care per day and do not support the majority of tasks my parents require.

These expenses have taken a big financial toll as I have had to tap into my saved resources. I am always happy to do whatever necessary to help but I also have to balance the needs of my family in Florida and the complexities of being a small business owner.

After speaking to dozens of people from the health care community, both private and public, and extensive research of my own, I am left with limited care options for my parents.

Nursing homes have huge waiting lists and I was quoted a minimum of $16,000 per month at various assisted living facilities in Toronto.

I researched assisted living facilities in North Orlando and the costs for both my parents would be half of what I was quoted in Canada.

It dawned on me that perhaps this is G-ds guiding path as I have been praying to bring them to Florida closer to me and the joy that only their grandchildren can bring them.

The fundraiser will go towards a chartered medical ambulance flight to Florida for both my parents as my mother requires 24/7 oxygen and they both need nursing and mobility support in their journey.

The money will also be used for health insurance coverage and the first month of assisted living care costs which would be roughly $7000 per month combined.

Bringing them close to me will allow me to see them often, the blessing I have often prayed for and have the nursing and daily care they require and deserve after a lifetime of giving to others.

I will also be able to arrange for treatment at an excellent wound care clinic in Orlando.