Supporting the Fortier Family During this Difficult Time

Dear Friends,

As life moves you along, presenting different paths and challenges, you realize when the time, and need, have come to reexamine and humbly look to your friends and community for help. That time has come for us.

Many know that my awesome mom, Sally Fortier, passed away in early June from a difficult journey with Alzheimer’s/Dementia. What some are not aware of is the parallel journey of my dad’s, with cancer and his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis, be it quite different from hers. Since Mom’s passing, I packed up my apartment, put my life in storage, and moved back into my parents’ house with my dad, brother, and our wonderful dog. Shortly after moving, my dad had surgery in hopes of clearing out the cancer from his second diagnosis. We have learned that the cancer they removed had already started to spread. As we evaluate my dad’s needs and comfort, we are still working to settle my mom’s affairs, and overall, are seeing where we go from here.

As we examine our current situation and measure the gravity of our needs, we are increasingly financially overwhelmed. There are interior and exterior repairs and spending necessities for the house that were held off on during the years of Mom’s struggle. There are also repairs needed for both of our cars, healthcare expenses that are not covered by insurance, and remaining cemetery expenses. All of this, on top of the monthly mortgage and bills that my dad’s now reduced monthly income does not cover. Unfortunately, my brother and I are currently unable to contribute financially as we assist my dad in this new journey without my mom. In 2020 we were both laid off due to the pandemic. Since then, we have grown to realize that our full-time roles needed to be that of caregiver, especially as Mom grew to need 24-hour assistance. I also took on the role of family healthcare and household manager. We were determined to keep mom and dad in their own home, instead of moving them into nursing homes/memory care units where they wouldn’t have been kept together - both would have declined quicker.

We are humbly asking for your help to get our family through this time, until my brother and I can determine the level of employment we can each possibly take on as my dad continues to need support and more assistance, and we strive to keep him at home. Finances are so difficult for many, but we appreciate any support you can offer. No amount is too small.

If you’d like to read Sally’s Story, please visit https://www.glhillsfuneralhome.com/obituary/cecilia-sally-fortier. She was truly a force of nature and one of the most loving, creative, fun, and interesting people you could meet. She cherished being Fairy Godmother to so many in our community.

With gratitude and love,

Rebecca