Marcia

This is for my brother Scott, who's mom is suffering from compounding illnesses. He and her partner are her primary caregivers right now, and it's an overwhelming burden physically, mentally, and financially.

This is from Scott, along with some quotes from family and friends:
My mom first got diagnosed with basal cell skin cancer at the beginning of 2018. It took a year to get it correctly diagnosed as squamous cell cancer and have it removed. Because the diagnosis took so long, it turned (so we thought) to Stage 3 head and neck squamous cell lymph node cancer mid way through 2019. It took five months for her healthcare provider to allow her to get a biopsy, and another month and a half to approve an oncology appointment. Then things got worse a day before she was going to the oncologist. She suffered a major subarachnoid hemorrhage. She was medi-vacced to the ICU in Orange County, but the surgery was so complicated no one at Eisenhower could do it. She suffered an accidental second ischemic stroke per the aneurysm clip kinking the vessel that controls her left side motor functions. Now five-and-a-half months later, after only 30 days of skilled nursing therapies (speech, physical and occupational), she got double pneumonia at the nursing and rehab facility, and possibly a second stroke and focal dyscognative seizure. We are now home with her and she is stabilizing, but we are still very unsure of her future, prognosis, and any cancer treatments she could survive. The hospital (Eisenhower) that initially treated her pneumonia did an unsafe discharge with no medications and only partial equipment at home. They didn’t even send her home with a way to feed her or administer her medications through her feeding tube.

There are three stages of funding needed. Immediate, therapeutic, and hopefully conscience items (food, handicap vehicle, expenses). We are hoping to use the money raised towards cancer treatments, and a vehicle that can accommodate a wheelchair. We have had to fill in a lot of gaps that the hospital created during the first week by not providing her with a blood pressure monitor or pulse oximeter, among many other things. I personally had to purchase $1,500 worth of equipment and hygiene supplies. We are also hoping to keep her house, as Tony, her significant other, has lost his job and is running low on unemployment insurance. I also am unemployed as of March 31, 2020. We are both spending 18 hours a day to keep her fed, get her the medications she needs, and to keep her clean each day. Medicare/Medi-Cal doesn’t cover everything she needs. We have applied to IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services ) for Tony to get paid as the primary care giver, and I have left my home, and my partner, in New York City to be here with her as long as she needs my help. The funds will literally keep a roof over our heads, and the hope for a partial, if not full, recovery alive. – Scott

I know it’s a lot to ask for them, especially during the times we are living in right now. But when the systems in place to take care of our loved ones fail us, the only thing we have left to rely on is each other.

Friends and family...

“With resources strained at the moment, and with insurance obstacles restricting the care she needs, her life rests in the hands of these two outstanding men, which is becoming more than they can handle.”

“My beautiful sister Marcia has suffered from a brain hemorrhage which required brain surgery, which caused strokes and seizures. She needs your help.”

“Marcia is an artist, with an artist’s soul since birth. She is one of the kindest, most caring people I know. For her not be able to draw, or walk, or share her art, is heartbreaking to see.”

“Due to the healthcare system we have, her benefits are very limited, and coupled with the present Covid-19 virus situation, she is being cared for by her only son Scott, and Tony, her partner of many years. With resources strained at the moment, and with insurance obstacles restricting the care she needs, her life rests in the hands of these two outstanding men, which is becoming more than they can handle.”

“She would sing when it got dark so I wouldn’t be afraid. Every piece of moss, stick, and flower became art – she gave a whole new appreciation for everything we passed on the trail. Her memory of places and things was like that of a genius – she could see a photo and tell you exactly where it was taken.”

“There are many needs these days, but if you could spare a little for Marcia, it would be a blessing to her and those who care for her. This moment in time is overwhelming.”