Free Meg From the Nursing Home
Donation protected
Hello,
My name is Keith, I am the son of a man who is trying to purchase a home. His money is tight, and he is having trouble finding a house for the money the bank has approved him for. I also want to make sure the house will accommodate my disabled mother, but I mainly wanted to start this campaign for him, and explain why he needs the help in purchasing a new home. My father is a very humble man, and would never do this himself, which is why I am writing this on his behalf.
My parents are both very generous people, who have given their lives to others. 5 Years ago, they made a great sacrifice that would change all of my family’s lives over that 5 years, they decided to move back to their hometown, a small coal town in West Virginia, Logan, so that they could take care of their parents following the death of my Dad’s father. The town doesn't have much. being as small as it is, but they did what they had to do so that others were taken care of. They did it without hesitation and loved doing it. After a few years of being there, my mother’s father passed due to his complications with diabetes. It shattered us all, but my mom quickly opened her heart to a new cause. An elderly neighbor a few houses down, and friend of the family, was diagnosed with cancer and given 12 months to live, she couldn’t afford home health care, so my mom took it upon herself to stay there from 6pm to 8am every night, to help ease her through these rough last few months. She did it and asked nothing in return, because that is just the type of people my parents are. My father was spending his evenings taking care of his mother, working a full time job at the local hospital, and helping out in the community by running for political office in the local government, hoping to make a difference in their dying town. Logan has one of the highest rates of drug overdoses in a state which is number one in the nation for drug overdoses. My dad had some great ideas to turn that around, but was defeated by a small margin. The population has dipped from over 50,000 to just under 35,000 in a few years, the unemployment rate in March was 11.8%, over 50% of the residents receive government assistance, and there are over 400 houses listed for sale. People are leaving the area at an astounding rate to find jobs elsewhere.
Unfortunately, about a year ago, our family’s lives came crashing down. My mother’s duties as a care taker were basically over, as my grandmother only remains. Partially due to her stubbornness, and partially due to her not wanting to worry others, my mom had gotten what she thought was a cold. It turned out she had gotten the flu, which within days, spiraled out of control, shutting down her kidneys, and almost killing her. Her recovery in the hospital went well, but because of all the water her body had retained from her kidneys not functioning, she could not walk, and was going to have to do extensive physical therapy. The weekend she came home from the hospital, my wife and I packed up our car, and rushed down to see them. We wanted to be able to help as much as we could, but we just couldn’t make that ultimate sacrifice to move down there. We were there to tell them we were pregnant with their first grandchild, and share the ultrasound pictures we had just received of, at the time, the little speck.
Although it sounds like that was the end of our tragic story, my father lost his mother last Mother’s Day, and he lost his election two days later, the following Saturday was the real struggle that made the year leading up to it a cakewalk. My wife and I were visiting a local coffee shop run by my best friend, while my father took my mother to her first physical therapy session. He dropped her off at home with her mother (my grandmother) and ran up to his mother’s house to do some clean up before giving her house to his nephew. My grandmother ended up having to call 911 because my mother became unresponsive, and she was rushed to the only ER within 60 miles. We scrambled to get to the hospital, only for them to tell us that my mother was in critical condition. She had suffered a very major stroke, with blood clots in both lungs and another near her right temple. They needed to get her to a larger hospital in Huntington (almost 2 hours away) where they were more prepared for someone in mom’s condition. She was going to travel by helicopter, and were not sure that mom would even survive the trip, so they let us go in to say a few words.
Luckily my mom did survive, but it hasn’t been easy. She has lived in and out of nursing homes over the last year, has had several other mini strokes, and several personal ups and downs as her mind recovers. She went for weeks without being able to communicate, regained her ability to walk, only for it to be lost several weeks later as her brain rewired itself. Her mind played tricks on her, allowing nightmares and fears to become real life. My wife and I traveled back and forth throughout this whole experience, and even traveled 7 days after our daughter, Charlotte, was born, just so my mom could hold her sweet baby in her arms. Every trip, my father would just gush about how much he wished they could come live with us, but we didn’t have the money, or the means, to get mom out of the nursing home, and back home full time.
Well now that time has come. We have sold my parent’s home (which you can imagine isn’t worth much in the area where they live) barely receiving enough to pay off the mortgage, packed up everything, and are bringing my parents and my grandmother with us. We are trying to find a home that can fit us all. My wife is planning on staying home full time with everyone to make sure everyone’s needs are met, while my father and I will work several full time jobs to allow this to happen. Our needs are unique when it has come to this search. My grandmother is in decent health for a 78 year old woman, but does not do steps well, My mother needs a lot of unique space due to her inability to walk (something the doctors told us is most likely gone forever), and I personally want my parents to have someplace private where they can reconnect and can be taken care of for once, instead of having to worry about taking care of others. I want them to have the best, and the house we found has EVERYTHING we need. It has plenty of room to grow vegetables to keep everyone fed with yummy organics, There is a great yard for my daughter, and her eventual siblings to run around in. They can share dinners with their grandparents and great-grandmother, and all while being in a good neighborhood and school system. It really is our forever home. There is only ONE problem. It needs to be handicapped accessible.
The real problem, and why I am setting up this campaign, is that the house we have found (while not extravagant) Is not completely handicapped accessible. It needs a walk in tub and some other renovations to make it 100% usable for mom and Mimi. The $15,000 will go a long way towards providing mom the access she deserves and needs. And maybe the doctors are wrong. Maybe the opportunity to move around will help her progress her abilities further. The mortgage payment is reasonable and my father and I will be able to do it with our multiple jobs. We are not the type of people to ask for handouts, but we are at a desperate point, and really want to make sure my mom gets the very best, because she deserves it.
My name is Keith, I am the son of a man who is trying to purchase a home. His money is tight, and he is having trouble finding a house for the money the bank has approved him for. I also want to make sure the house will accommodate my disabled mother, but I mainly wanted to start this campaign for him, and explain why he needs the help in purchasing a new home. My father is a very humble man, and would never do this himself, which is why I am writing this on his behalf.
My parents are both very generous people, who have given their lives to others. 5 Years ago, they made a great sacrifice that would change all of my family’s lives over that 5 years, they decided to move back to their hometown, a small coal town in West Virginia, Logan, so that they could take care of their parents following the death of my Dad’s father. The town doesn't have much. being as small as it is, but they did what they had to do so that others were taken care of. They did it without hesitation and loved doing it. After a few years of being there, my mother’s father passed due to his complications with diabetes. It shattered us all, but my mom quickly opened her heart to a new cause. An elderly neighbor a few houses down, and friend of the family, was diagnosed with cancer and given 12 months to live, she couldn’t afford home health care, so my mom took it upon herself to stay there from 6pm to 8am every night, to help ease her through these rough last few months. She did it and asked nothing in return, because that is just the type of people my parents are. My father was spending his evenings taking care of his mother, working a full time job at the local hospital, and helping out in the community by running for political office in the local government, hoping to make a difference in their dying town. Logan has one of the highest rates of drug overdoses in a state which is number one in the nation for drug overdoses. My dad had some great ideas to turn that around, but was defeated by a small margin. The population has dipped from over 50,000 to just under 35,000 in a few years, the unemployment rate in March was 11.8%, over 50% of the residents receive government assistance, and there are over 400 houses listed for sale. People are leaving the area at an astounding rate to find jobs elsewhere.
Unfortunately, about a year ago, our family’s lives came crashing down. My mother’s duties as a care taker were basically over, as my grandmother only remains. Partially due to her stubbornness, and partially due to her not wanting to worry others, my mom had gotten what she thought was a cold. It turned out she had gotten the flu, which within days, spiraled out of control, shutting down her kidneys, and almost killing her. Her recovery in the hospital went well, but because of all the water her body had retained from her kidneys not functioning, she could not walk, and was going to have to do extensive physical therapy. The weekend she came home from the hospital, my wife and I packed up our car, and rushed down to see them. We wanted to be able to help as much as we could, but we just couldn’t make that ultimate sacrifice to move down there. We were there to tell them we were pregnant with their first grandchild, and share the ultrasound pictures we had just received of, at the time, the little speck.
Although it sounds like that was the end of our tragic story, my father lost his mother last Mother’s Day, and he lost his election two days later, the following Saturday was the real struggle that made the year leading up to it a cakewalk. My wife and I were visiting a local coffee shop run by my best friend, while my father took my mother to her first physical therapy session. He dropped her off at home with her mother (my grandmother) and ran up to his mother’s house to do some clean up before giving her house to his nephew. My grandmother ended up having to call 911 because my mother became unresponsive, and she was rushed to the only ER within 60 miles. We scrambled to get to the hospital, only for them to tell us that my mother was in critical condition. She had suffered a very major stroke, with blood clots in both lungs and another near her right temple. They needed to get her to a larger hospital in Huntington (almost 2 hours away) where they were more prepared for someone in mom’s condition. She was going to travel by helicopter, and were not sure that mom would even survive the trip, so they let us go in to say a few words.
Luckily my mom did survive, but it hasn’t been easy. She has lived in and out of nursing homes over the last year, has had several other mini strokes, and several personal ups and downs as her mind recovers. She went for weeks without being able to communicate, regained her ability to walk, only for it to be lost several weeks later as her brain rewired itself. Her mind played tricks on her, allowing nightmares and fears to become real life. My wife and I traveled back and forth throughout this whole experience, and even traveled 7 days after our daughter, Charlotte, was born, just so my mom could hold her sweet baby in her arms. Every trip, my father would just gush about how much he wished they could come live with us, but we didn’t have the money, or the means, to get mom out of the nursing home, and back home full time.
Well now that time has come. We have sold my parent’s home (which you can imagine isn’t worth much in the area where they live) barely receiving enough to pay off the mortgage, packed up everything, and are bringing my parents and my grandmother with us. We are trying to find a home that can fit us all. My wife is planning on staying home full time with everyone to make sure everyone’s needs are met, while my father and I will work several full time jobs to allow this to happen. Our needs are unique when it has come to this search. My grandmother is in decent health for a 78 year old woman, but does not do steps well, My mother needs a lot of unique space due to her inability to walk (something the doctors told us is most likely gone forever), and I personally want my parents to have someplace private where they can reconnect and can be taken care of for once, instead of having to worry about taking care of others. I want them to have the best, and the house we found has EVERYTHING we need. It has plenty of room to grow vegetables to keep everyone fed with yummy organics, There is a great yard for my daughter, and her eventual siblings to run around in. They can share dinners with their grandparents and great-grandmother, and all while being in a good neighborhood and school system. It really is our forever home. There is only ONE problem. It needs to be handicapped accessible.
The real problem, and why I am setting up this campaign, is that the house we have found (while not extravagant) Is not completely handicapped accessible. It needs a walk in tub and some other renovations to make it 100% usable for mom and Mimi. The $15,000 will go a long way towards providing mom the access she deserves and needs. And maybe the doctors are wrong. Maybe the opportunity to move around will help her progress her abilities further. The mortgage payment is reasonable and my father and I will be able to do it with our multiple jobs. We are not the type of people to ask for handouts, but we are at a desperate point, and really want to make sure my mom gets the very best, because she deserves it.
Organizer
Bob Stidham
Organizer
Logan, WV
