Bill Ferguson's Hospice and final arrangements

Bill Ferguson’s Hospice Care

Hello, my name is Joe Antonio. Along with my sisters, Cher Odum and Chrissie Antonio, we started this Go Fund Me in hopes of raising money for our father’s hospice care. His name is Bill Ferguson. That's Bill in the photo above. He's the kid in the middle who was fighting for our country so many years ago. 

Bill has stage four inoperable cancer in his spine and brain. Bill has been fighting lung cancer for well over a year. A couple of months ago be was declared “cancer free”  after having half of his lung removed only for it to reappear in his spine. It looks as though the cancer has now spread to his brain. 

When we started this Go Fund Me our mother Joyce was faced two choices: put Bill into a Hospice facility and self-pay his room and board or take him home to die. She is unable to care for him safely and sufficiently at home. She could not lift him when he falls, (which is often), and his medical needs are complex. Additionally, Bill is suffering from advanced dementia. This makes him unpredictable and at times, aggressive. These and other factors make caring for him at home impossible for our mom. It’s simply not safe or good for either of them. 

Thanks to to the grace of God, the generosity of many friends and family who donated to this fund, our mother was able to place Bill in a beautiful hospice facility. He is well cared for by a compassionate, experienced nursing staff and surrounded by natural beauty.  We are filled with gratitude. Today a group of local vets spent some time with him as brothers in arms acknowledge his service, just one example of the many things the hospice provider does for patients. The visit was moving and furthered our belief that was indeed, in the right place. all of our efforts to make hospice happen were exactly what Bill needed. 

To secure his bed she was required to pre-pay over $1500 on her credit cards. Now she's pretty much maxed. Maw and Bill survive on a fixed income and do not have the resources some of us are blessed with. We have not yet met our conservative  financial goal.

We seek to raise enough to cover Bill's  hospice stay, final arrangements and maybe some medical bills that they amassed by fighting cancer over the past year. Tennessee is a community property state so our mom is on the hook for all of his expenses and she does not have the resources to cover them. Bill is a Veteran of the Vietnam war but the VA has not been able to meet his needs. 

We are so grateful to all of the donors who made his placement in hospice possible. It has made a difference in making him comfortable and he is at a place where he can die a peaceful and dignified death. However, we have not raised enough to cover everything our mother and Bill need. If you are able to make a donation to the campaign it will take us that much closer to meeting our parents needs. We would be grateful for any and all donations, none are too small. 

If you’re unable to donate, please share the link to the campaign so as many people as possible will see it. The more who do, the more support we get. Thank you for considering a donation, or sharing. We greatly appreciate any support you can give.