Hi there! I’m making this GoFundMe in an attempt to help my kids and me make as many trips from Indiana to Arizona as humanly possible while my mother is still with us on this side of Heaven. Time is not on our side.

Back story: In 2023, I noticed my mom was acting different - paranoid, more forgetful, more angry, and making major mistakes doing things she’s typically highly capable of (like sending me a receipt for a money order instead of the actual money order… this really happened).

In 2024, she moved to AZ to live with my sister and get a medical evaluation. She was officially diagnosed with dementia in February 2024, and it was changed to Alzheimer’s in April 2025. When she was first diagnosed with dementia in 2024, I made a personal vow to visit her once per year in AZ, so I pulled a loan and bought tickets for my kids and me to visit in March 2024 during Spring Break. I knew I needed to get out this year, but I’m a single mom and teacher with a second, part-time job, so I do not have the financial means for frequent travel. My daughter and sister took one for the team and bought tickets for herself (daughter), me, and her brother/my son to fly to AZ this year. We went this week, Oct 12-14, for a visit. After booking the tickets, but before the trip, my sister informed me that our mom was put on hospice. The hospice team meets with my mom once per week and updates the game plan as needed. I was fortunate to meet her hospice team during my visit where my sister and I were faced with a difficult choice: do we keep our mom on the dementia meds or wean her off? At the recommendation of the hospice NP, we decided to wean her off because the meds are no longer beneficial given her stage of the disease and there’s nothing stronger/more effective to replace it with. So now, I am feeling even more guilty and needing to visit more often and spend time with my mom before she passes. Because of how swift her dementia progressed into Alzheimer’s, I anticipate a swift transition to end of life once she’s completely off her dementia meds, which leaves me so many different things that it overwhelms me. Our next target date for a visit is January 1-4, 2026 followed by March 2026. (Exact dates in March TBD)

That brings me to this GoFundMe. I am unable to pull any more loans. I can’t expect my daughter and sister to foot the bill every time, so I am hoping that by branching out, I can receive assistance from anyone who is able and willing. All money donated will be used for travel necessities between Indiana and Arizona and back to Indiana. If there are any monies leftover after my mother passes, I will use it towards her final expenses.

If you read to the very end, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. If you cannot donate, no worries. Your prayers and support mean the world to me, and please hit that “share” button! Thank you again for taking the time to read this and thank you for your consideration.