<div>Hi, Brianna Austin here, let me start off by saying how overwhelmed with gratitude I am by all the support and love I have received from even strangers from my father’s past. Might be strangers to me but I don’t remember my dad ever meeting a stranger to be honest. He could make friends with anyone. He has a smile that will last an eternity. I say that because for me he’s still by my side. I truly believe he’s helping me right now. It pains me to do this. Because, I mean, it just does. My father David Robert Austin, was brought into the hospital in an ambulance on October 1st, 2024. From there we found out his lungs were in very bad shape from being severely septic and having multiple pneumonias which resulted in him developing ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). This is a severe condition in which the lungs swell and fluid leaks into the air sacs. After several weeks instead of improving his lungs started scarring, becoming stiffer and further impending the ability to oxygenate his blood. He was on maximal pressure ventilator for support. They sedated him and even gave him a paralytic because when they tried to allow him to initiate breaths on his own his oxygen levels would drop and his body was naturally fighting the ventilator. The doctors then told us that he would not be able to live without a ventilator. We were presented with two scenarios, both of which are awful.
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<div>1. If we prolong his life unnaturally they can try to stabilize him long enough to perform a tracheotomy. They informed us that it was highly likely that he wouldn’t be strong enough to even survive that procedure. Which could also result in having oxygen levels drop causing brain and organ damage. If he survived it, he would have been looking at life of being chronically criticaly ill, continuing to be ventilator dependent, severely disabled, most of all, he would be suffering.. with brain damage and/or unable to live on the ventilator without being extremely sedated.
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<div>2. The other option is to realize that the best choice is to let my dad go and be free of pain and suffering. I don’t think anyone would want to be trapped inside a body that couldn’t work and be active, unable to enjoy the simplest pleasures of life and instead be dependent on a machine.
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<div>I truly believe this is what he would have wanted, so we let him go with peace and dignity and surrounded by family that loves him dearly.
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<div>He passed peacefully at 4pm on October 20th 2024.
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<div>My father had just turned 60 years old on September 10th 2024. He had no insurance. He has no assets. He was in the military but has no benefits from that either unfortunately. No life insurance plan, no bank account. I could go on an on but honestly momentarily I can’t. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and the hardest thing I’ve ever had to ask for help with. I never had to plan a funeral in my life, I just showed up for them. I’m blown away with how much it costs to die. Like I said, I’m already overwhelmed with extreme gratitude from all the love and support. But I can’t deny the fact that l can’t do this alone. And I know I’m not, but financially I’m struggling. As we all are. This world we live in right now sucks. I appreciate any amount that can help pay for his cremation and celebration of life. With all my love I truly truly appreciate everything. Bless you.
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<div>cremation alone = 1,350.00+ (and that’s the cheapest I could find.)
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<div>celebration of life/ luncheon/ guest book etc.= 1,300.00
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<div>who knew…. It would be like this.
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<div>I went from planning a wedding, with my dad walking me down the aisle… to planning a funeral. 
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