COVID Relief & Memorial for Graves-Graber Family

We are raising money for my mother, Marty Graves, to help cover medical and memorial costs for my father, Michael Graber, who had emergency brain surgery in February, contracted COVID-19 in March and passed away in April after spending 5 weeks in the ICU fighting for his life. Since we can’t be with my mom physically to help her, this is a way for us to provide some support in this difficult time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected thousands-to-millions of individuals and families, many tragically. Unfortunately, it has directly impacted my family, too. Shortly after relocating from CA to NYC for work in early March, COVID-19 turned NYC into a pandemic epicenter. As a result, my wife and 1-year old son, who were going to make the trip a few weeks later, had to remain in CA to stay safe. I thought my parents, who in their 70s retired in a small ski town in Colorado, were relatively safe there. It was shocking, a few weeks later, when my mother, Marty, called to tell me my father, Michael (aka Mike), woke up unable to breathe and was on his way to a hospital ICU. We immediately were confronted with the scary reality that both my parents, who are in their 70s, likely have COVID-19.

Marty, a retired elementary school teacher and cancer survivor, thankfully was able to recover from COVID after two weeks of isolation. Mike, was just recovering from brain surgery in February to remove a cancerous brain tumor caused by melanoma, was admitted to the ICU in mid-March, sedated and placed on a ventilator. He tested positive for COVID-19, had two types of pneumonia in his lungs and failing kidneys, but he fought hard. He fought hard enough so that Marty could call him via FaceTime on their 37th wedding anniversary on April 2nd, a week after the doctors told her he wasn’t going to make it more than a few days. He continued to fight, but after about 5 weeks in the ICU with ups and downs, he tragically passed away on April 21, 2020. I, my parents only child, was fortunate enough to say goodbye to my father via FaceTime, and my mom was able to be by his side since he was hospitalized long enough for the COVID to pass through his system.

We are trying to raise $30,000 to help with the costs of my father’s recent medical bills incurred, funeral costs and other related costs to alleviate some of the stress on my mother, Marty, as she recovers from this unexpected tragedy and heartache. My father spent about a month in the hospital for the emergency brain surgery and subsequent recovery. We were so excited he was back home and on his way to recovery, when COVID tragically hit my family hard. If you so kindly feel like donating or contributing, we very much appreciate your help and we thank you wholeheartedly. 

Stay safe, stay healthy and please cherish any time you are able to spend with your loved ones during this time.