Help us support Debbie in this tough transition

In August of 2021, Debbie Lamedman's husband Minke Ceilidh was diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease ALS. Since then, Debbie has been acting as his sole caregiver…but the increase in his needs as his condition progresses, along with the greater physical, emotional, and financial demands of his care, have made that unsustainable.

Debbie is our fellow writer, a crack editor, and a great human. She and Minke live far away from family, and from us…so Debbie has been doing all the difficult work of caregiving herself. She’s been a rock star…but she is experiencing the physical and psychic strains that come from being a sole caregiver in isolation, and the amount of care required with ALS only goes up. It’s a cruel and relentless disease. We need your help to get Debbie the caregiver support she needs.

(You can read in more detail about ALS, and Debbie and Minke’s journey with it, on Debbie’s blog here).

ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The brain is unable to initiate and control muscle movement, so the things we all take for granted such as speaking, eating, moving, and breathing are lost. Minke initially felt fatigued and weak; then he needed to use a cane; then a walker. He is now full-time in a power wheelchair.

The good news is that after a long and difficult time, a real-life Mary Poppins has come along to provide help. Molly is a trusted and trustworthy friend with special-needs caregiving experience, one who drives a wheelchair van, and who has personality and strength in abundance. She’s, well, practically perfect in every way. But of course Molly can’t provide full-time care on a purely volunteer basis: for her to be a sustainable, long-term solution to their care needs, she needs and deserves to be compensated. That’s where you come in: we are trying to raise $50,000 for Debbie and Minke to hire Molly to be their caregiver support.

The real-life Molly in a Mary Poppins costume, of course!

$50,000 would fund fair compensation for Molly and cover expenses to provide desperately needed support service for Debbie and Minke, not just as a short-term band-aid, but for the long haul. Any donation amount -- even a little amount – coming from a lot of us can make that happen.

Thank you for helping sustain Debbie, Minke, and their beloved Mrs. Zelda Goldfarb through this incredibly difficult challenge. ALS is a brutal, cruel disease – for the patient, and for everyone who loves them. It’s especially hard on caregivers. Having Molly’s help will not only help meet Minke’s changing needs, it will allow Debbie breathing room to focus again on her own health, and on being his partner and wife -- not just a servant to his ALS.

Thank you so much for your generosity. It means the world.

Maggie, Vince, and Mark