Help Kylie save her Mum
Donation protected
Mum (Debra) has Stage 4 (End-of-Life Stage) COPD with less than 18% lung function, her Lung Specialist and medical team have recommended that a lung transplant is her best and only option. Mum is a kind soul, that has always looked for the for the best in everyone she meets, there is not a time I cannot remember that she did not open her home, share her food or offered someone a friendly shoulder to cry on even if it meant she had to go without herself.
Debra is unable to lay flat while sleeping and needs an electric Hi-Lo adjustable bed. She has a stationary floor Oxygen Concentrator for her home oxygen needs and uses portable oxygen cylinders when she needs to leave the house. In addition to her COPD, she also now has Heart failure and needs an electric lift chair to help keep her legs raised and help her heart with fluid retention. She was supposed to see an Eye Specialist at the end of January 2022 in regards to needing cataract surgery but this has not gone ahead due to being in hospital. Her vision is deteriorating and we are told she will most probably lose her vision if not treated.
Debra is 61 years of age and her application for NDIS was denied, she was granted and receives a My Aged Care Home Care Package under special consideration. This package is now used to capacity. We are in the process of requesting a new ACAT assessment for a higher level package but have been advised that it could take approximately 4 months for a new assessment to be conducted and a higher level Home Care Package to be granted.
Debra lives in a rented home in Woolgoolga, New South Wales with a friend/housemate who helps to care for her. As her daughter, I supplement all additional care she needs, that is unable to be provided by the Home Care Package or her housemate. In addition to caring for Mum, I care for my husband and we have two primary school aged children, one of which is on the Autism Spectrum. With my caring commitments, it is very difficult for me to obtain employment.
- Mum does not drive and is reliant on me to take her to and from appointments. The distance from my home to her address is approximately 75 kms round trip and takes approximately 40 minutes each way. A typical day would require me to spend between 2 and 5 hours, sometimes more. Rising costs in fuel as well as wear and tear on my vehicle makes it very difficult to manage financially on a limited Centrelink benefit.
- In order to be assessed for a lung transplant, she will need to attend St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, New South Wales. Mum's needs are such that she is unable to travel alone and that she tires easily, incurring travel costs and requiring accommodation.
- If approved for a lung transplant, she will be required to remain in Sydney at St Vincent's Hospital for a length of time. On discharge, she will need to attend St Vincent's daily, then weekly, then fortnightly until she reaches monthly check-ups which will continue for the rest of her life - involving recurring costs for travel and accommodation .
- She is on an ever-increasing list of medications and with her current health needs to see a Lung Specialist, Heart Specialist, and Eye Specialist. Every 6 months, they recommend she attend a Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Clinic which is a 150km trip in total.
As someone who finds it easy and second-nature to be able to help others when they're in need, I find it hard to publicly ask for help. Mum desperately wants to be able to watch her grandchildren grow up and have a second chance at life. I know she would do this for me, so why shouldn't I do it for her?
Fundraising team (3)
Kylie Watson
Organizer
Sawtell, NSW
Krystal Macmurray
Team member
Oliver Pavy
Team member