Support Rebecca's Fight Against ALS

Due to the entire community’s love and support, the original goal of $14,480 was completed June 27th! Because of this, we have decided to update the goal to $20,000 to assist my mom and dad in other necessary ways. These donations would fund the purchase, permit, and instillation of an Acorn 180 curved stairlift to assist my mom with her mobility issues. The money will also be allocated to a caregiver to take care of Rebecca when my dad is unable to.

My mom, Rebecca, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), and FTD (Frontal Temporal Dementia!, in October of 2022. Prior to her diagnosis, her health, and more specifically her upper body muscles, began deteriorating. She has slowly lost the ability to verbally communicate, eat, or drink. It has been incredibly difficult watching her slowly deteriorate like this right in front of our eyes. Despite this, my father, siblings (Max, Nate, & Ava) still love my mom unconditionally and we will all keep fighting for her good health.

While ALS is unable to be cured, there are things that can be done to improve the quality of her life. As ALS progresses, it's expected that Rebecca will lose the ability to move or use her limbs. As a way to improve this, my family has decided to add a stairlift to allow her easy access from her bedroom to our living room, where most of her medical equipment is. While she has started to show signs of struggle while ascending stairs and has slowly showed signs her leg muscles are weakening, a stairlift is becoming more and more necessary.

The original goal of $14,480 was completed this morning (after under 3 days!) and we have decided to allocate the rest of the funds for another caretaker for my mom. She currently has 2 wonderful caretakers, Demil and Stacy who work tirelessly with her weekly. Unfortunately my dad works a full time job, so despite having caregivers over often, my mom is still alone for many hours throughout the day. We believe this second goal will alleviate more financial stress from my father and give him more necessary alone time. This will also give Rebecca a new friend to hang out with her!:)

Ever since my mom's diagnosis, my father has stepped up like no other. He took a great deal of time and effort in learning about how to care for, feed, and administer first aid to Rebecca, if needed. Not only this, he takes care of my 11-year-old sister, Ava, when she isn't in school. Despite this, he gets up every day to work and provide his family the best life that he could. He really has become a huge role model to me since starting care of my mom. Seeing him essentially work 2 full time jobs while still providing unwavering love to my entire family has left me so proud of him.

I'm looking at raising $20,000 because I believe my mom deserves the best quality of life she can get before she unfortunately passes away and my father deserves financial assistance during this incredibly difficult time for him. This money would pay for an Acorn 180 Curved Stairlift including permit fees and installation connecting my mom's room to the bulk of her medical equipment & necessary caregiver services. If Rebecca were to unfortunately pass before the instillation of the stairlift, the proceeds will be donated to further research of this disease (through ALS TDI)

I love my mom so much and I'll never stop fighting for her or anyone diagnosed with this terrible disease. She is such a sweet, kind, and loving woman who did a fantastic job at raising me and my siblings. Her resilience to what has been happening has made me so proud of her. Seeing her continue every day with a smile on her face despite what's been happening proves my moms love for those around her knows no bounds.

ALS affects on average 30,000 people in the US and presents itself differently in cases. In over 80% of cases, patients begin by losing muscle strength in the limbs. It's an incredibly scary disease that can leave a loved one a complete shell of their former selves. If you want to donate directly to fight ALS, please visit https://www.als.org/get-involved for ways you can donate, volunteer, or spread awareness of this deadly disease. For other ways to donate, https://hoops4als.com/ is an excellent fundraiser benefitting the nonprofit research institute ALS TDI.

I also want to thank anyone that has helped my family in other ways. The love and support my mom has received since her diagnosis has been eye opening. I'm so thankful for anyone who has donated food, time, or recourses to help make my parents lives easier. I'm so proud of my community for this and it really doesn't go unnoticed <3

Here’s some more picture of Rebecca with those she loves most dearly.