Willa's caregiver's mother's funeral

Willa has been living at the Elternhaus Assisted Living Facility for over 2½ years. This fundraiser is to help Willa’s primary daytime caregiver – Girlie Greeley, whose mother died on Nov 3, two days after her 90th birthday – return to the Philippines to attend her mother’s funeral plus help Girlie pay other costs related to her mother’s medical bills, funeral costs, and other expenses.

Girlie is a wonderful caregiver for Willa. This challenging career is a calling, because the pay is modest, the work is often quite challenging, and the stress is high. I have always been pleased by and grateful for the care Girlie provides to Willa, even when Willa would hit Girlie or be uncooperative. Willa is one of seven residents Girlie cares for and the second youngest resident of 20 – the average age is about 95. Girlie has been working at Elternhaus for nine years.

Girlie arrived in the US in 1994 right after she got married to her American husband. Since her arrival 29 years ago, Girlie has been her mother’s only financial support (I found out most of this on Nov 3). Girlie tried to visit her mother every year, but due to COVID the last time she saw her mother was in 2019. Yesterday Girlie showed me many pictures of her mother, both when she was healthier and in her last days. About three weeks ago her mother was hospitalized for two weeks. As it became clear that death was imminent, Girlie knew that her mother’s final wishes included dying at home. To get her mother released from the hospital Girlie had to pay half the outstanding $5,000 hospital bill, so she borrowed $2,500 from her employer, got her mother released, and her mother came home and died a few days later.

The financial goal of $10,500 includes $2,800 for round-trip airfare from Baltimore to her home on the island of Bohol (a three-hour flight from Manila), $900 for the funeral, and about $900 to pay the people who are keeping watch over the sealed casket with Girlie’s mother’s body, which remains at their home (Girlie showed me photos). The people keeping watch over the casket are losing money by not being at their regular jobs. Other types of storage are not an option. There is an additional $300 to disinter her father’s remains so he and his wife can be interred together in an above-ground crypt. The other costs include the $5,000 hospital bill and $600 for miscellaneous expenses.

Although you will probably never meet Girlie, I see her 5-6 days per week. When I saw her glum look two days ago (she is normally very cheery) I asked what was wrong. “My mom died this morning”. Her intense sadness was deepened by not having the resources to attend the funeral, let alone figuring out how to pay for her mother’s final expenses. I am grateful for the loving care Girlie provides to Willa, and I will be particularly grateful for any financial assistance you can provide to get Girlie to Bohol in time for her mother’s funeral on Nov 12 plus the other expenses she has.