Our mom, Ellie, was rushed to the hospital with an excruciating headache and diagnosed with a brain tumor on Sunday. The biopsy surgery is scheduled for Friday at Bryn Mawr Hospital. My brothers, John and Alex, flew in from Arkansas and California and are spending Christmas in hotels (I live in Maryland and drive back and forth).

My mom, who until this diagnosis was in excellent health, has been my dad’s caregiver following his stroke and recent heart condition procedure. He isn’t able to live independently without her, and as her family living out of state, we’re working on solutions regarding housing, caregiving, etc., as they live in a second-floor apartment with no elevator and my dad is physically ill-equipped to handle the stairs. We’ve done our best to navigate paperwork, phone calls, and insurance companies during a holiday week, but it’s been tricky. Mom and Dad live on social security income only, have never owned a home, and have no assets, yet their dual social security makes them ineligible (by a very marginal amount) for Medicaid and other potential help.

We’re in need of funding to help provide caregiving services for my dad in the short term while we arrange needed housing changes for my parents. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated by our family. Of course, it’s the holidays and we understand financially times can be tough; we’re thankful for even a small contribution — or if you can share this, we’d appreciate that too. Thanks and happy holidays to you & yours.❤️