Hi, we’re Kyle and Kendra, Cheryl Beas’s son and daughter. We’re organizing this fundraiser for our mom, and she is set up to receive the funds directly.

If you know our mom, you know she’s always the one who shows up. Whether it’s with a three tier cake, 6 dozen cupcakes, 5 trays of carrots and dip or just with her smile, she’s there for everyone. Some of the people we grew up with had rough starts, and they still call her Mom because she was the one who took them in. She’s devoted her life to being a caregiver, currently caring for an amazing older individual with Down syndrome. She’s always putting the care of others before herself.

Now she’s the one who needs care.

When she was young she was injured from a horse accident. The physical work that her caregiving has required left her needing multiple neck and back surgeries. Those surgeries require rods and bolts in both her neck and her lower spine. The recovery process has been intense, she has nerve damage, loss in ability to complete daily tasks and is in severe pain. She’s only 63 and has a lot of life left but her insurance isn’t covering very much of her expenses. On top of all this, while she was in the hospital, one of the individuals she had cared for almost a decade passed away and she didn’t get to say goodbye. It’s been an incredibly rough time for her.

Her rehab coverage has run out, so she’s home now, living on half her usual income, and the spinal rod surgery is still ahead of her. Everyone in our family works, and she needs more help than we can give between shifts.

Last week she was crying, and it wasn’t from the pain. It was because right now she can’t take care of anyone. That’s who she is.

What your gift covers (estimates):

Getting her home safely, our first goal:

A hospital bed to replace her outdated one: about $1,500

An in-home caregiver about 20 hours a week for 12 weeks, to help her turn, stay clean, prevent bedsores, and stick to her recovery: about $9,600

Next:

Her share of the bills from two surgeries and rehab that insurance didn’t cover: about $6,000

Lost income for three months while she recovers: about $4,300

GoFundMe processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per donation): about $650, included in the goal

Estimated total: about $22,000. We’re starting with a goal of $11,500 to cover the bed and caregiver first, and we’ll raise the goal as we go. These are our best estimates from local costs, and we’ll update them as the real bills come in. If we raise more than she needs, the extra will go toward her upcoming spine surgery and recovery.

Other ways to help: Share this page. If you’re a nurse or caregiver in Ventura County and could be a good fit, please reach out. The optional tip at checkout goes to GoFundMe, not to Cheryl, and you can set it to zero.

We’ll post updates as she recovers and gets ready for the next surgery, including what your gifts paid for.

Thank you for showing up for the woman who has always shown up for everyone else.

Kyle & Kendra