Aid Mom's Recovery: Overcome Financial Strain

My mom is 85 years old. My father passed away when I was 16 years old from a heart attack, and she was thrust into the role of a single mom in the '80s. She was always there for me. When I was in 4-H, she ran the petting zoo at the Cumberland County Fair, and we spent the entire time there together. At the same time, she was a swim teacher at Little Sebago Lake in Windham, Maine, and worked cleaning RVs to take care of me. She helped put me through Culinary School in Boston and always supported me during my burgeoning career as a chef.

Now our positions have changed. When my father passed away, I swore to God that I would always be there for her no matter what. About 4 years ago, she suffered a major fall and spent two days in a trailer in Florida wedged between the wall and the bed in her RV. Mom has always been a fiercely independent woman, but the time came when she needed help. She immediately came to live with me in Anchorage, Alaska, where despite her mobility issues, we were able to experience many adventures together. Everything was good and manageable, but she wished to return to the lower 48.

In February, we moved back to Florida. In August, she suffered a cardiac event, and things have been spiraling down since. She had to have a dual-chamber pacemaker put in. For a very short time, Medicare was there for her, but now she is in a rehabilitation facility, and Medicare has nearly dried up as she struggles daily to get strong enough to return home. We were fine for a while, but now the money is drying up for the nearly $1700 weekly co-pay required for her to get strong enough to return home.

I hate having to do this as we have always been there for others as well as each other, but at this point, I am out of answers. She is not strong enough to come home yet but is improving daily.