Create a Better Life for Christina Cole

My name is Paige and my main goal with this GoFundMe is to help assist my mom, Christina Cole. Since birth, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, and has been confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. She's never had it easy in this life in any way, but within the past 3 years, her condition and world as she knew it have changed and worsened.

First, in June of 2023, she was living with my grandfather (her dad, who was also at the time confined to a wheelchair after the amputation of one of his legs). After admitting to a year+ of eating trouble, she was admitted to Baptist Health in Lexington, weighing between 70-80 lbs from her esophagus closing up to the point she could barely swallow her saliva. I realized she needed more care than my papaw was able to provide, so I took on the task at only 20 years old, still living at home with my dad (my mother and father have been separated for most of my life) and my boyfriend at the time (now fiancé).

I moved my mom back home, and she went on to undergo upwards of 9 stretchings of her esophagus before she could begin to eat food normally again. Even after, she was still taking 3 medications, one being 4 times a day. At the time, I was a full-time college student with 1 full-time job and 2 part-time jobs, trying to help make ends meet. I didn't realize I couldn't do everything and be a full-time caregiver to my mom as well, so I went on to drop out of college and resign from my 2 part-time jobs to focus on my mom and still work a minimum wage job.

This worked for a while until I started to get sick myself. I found out I have endometriosis, and of course, just being only 21 years old, I had a vision for myself and my future. Fast forward to May of 2024, my grandpa, who was my mom's absolute hero, passed away, leaving my mom completely crushed. She never stopped grieving him, and I'm not sure if she ever will. This set the whole family back a bunch, and then not long after, in about September 2024, my mom had to have all of her teeth removed due to severe mouth pain and rotting of her teeth.

Now, as of February 26th, just a week after her 51st birthday, she was hospitalized again. She had stopped taking her medication, and that caused her esophagus to ooze blood and exit her body in teaspoon amounts when she would use the bathroom. Over time, she lost about 50% of her blood and most of her bodily iron. On top of this, she had a blood clot in her right leg, causing her excruciating pain. This happening opened my eyes to how I've been taking care of her and how it wasn't exactly the right and ideal way. I had no equipment to assist me, and on top of that, there were 4 of us living in a 2-bedroom, 1-bath home with 3 dogs and 3 cats. Being that my mom and dad are separated, they don't share a room, so we set up a bed in our living area for my mother.

As of right now, from the hospital, my mom was discharged to Cambridge Nursing and Rehab facility for short-term rehab from her blood clot in her leg. She is on a blood thinner for 6 weeks and is on acid reflux medication for life. From there, she will move from short-term to long-term at the same said facility. Due to the short term being for only like 21 days, we didn't want to bring her home while on blood thinners because my dad and my fiancé all work full time, and if she were to fall or one of the dogs jumped on her and nicked her, it could be a big problem.

From that, it got me thinking maybe with some help, we could create an ideal living situation for her before we bring her home. We are looking into maybe selling our current home for a bigger one where she could have her room and maybe a bathroom with an accessible shower for her. In her room, through different companies the hospital gave, I would apply to get a hospital bed and Hoyer lift to assist me with daily tasks such as changing and transferring her from bed to an electric wheelchair. I also dream of getting a wheelchair-accessible van to help us with transportation. Due to her condition, she can use a manual wheelchair, but only if someone pushes her. She is not able to move herself in one. Therefore, her electric wheelchair is her only form of legs and independence. To see her be able to go anywhere and still have her “legs” is something that would warm us both.

Sometimes I sit and think about how my mom never got a chance to do even half the stuff I got to do as a kid. She never got to learn how to drive or sneak out of her bedroom window or simply be able to do for herself, but one thing she was able to do was have a beautiful baby girl, which forces me to believe that was for a reason. I was placed into her life to help make it better and to help her experience independence and the freedom of life. All I want is to bring my mom home the right way and be able to take care of her properly while still planning and building for my life and my future, and I believe you all could help me do that. I don't know how much or how long it will take, but I won't stop until I make it happen.