Help the Gaarz Family

For anyone who does not know, around mid-April my mother Claudia Gaarz began experiencing dizziness, nausea, and numbness in her right arm and leg. On April 28th she was taken to Harris ER in Ft. Worth because she was completely unable to walk. MRIs found a mass in her brain and further diagnostics revealed a brain tumor known as a Glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and most aggressive forms of brain cancer. Due to the size and location of the tumor, removal surgery was not an option. At this point, my mom faces several weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. We are hopeful that with this we can buy her some time and prolong her life by months or maybe even years, but unfortunately the overall prognosis is terminal.
Another hurdle we are facing while we await all this is her current condition. She is still unable to walk, or use her right arm. Soon she will be starting steroid treatments which might help, but it is extremely difficult right now. We have made some progress in getting her home, and comfortable in her own bed, but she is completely immobile. My wonderful dad is working so hard to do everything he can, but we require the assistance of home health care, nurses, and physical therapy. When she starts treatments there will have to be help from a transport service as well. He is doing his best, but I know he is completely overwhelmed. That is where I am stepping in.
We are a proud family, sometimes too much so…my parents are both retired, and their current insurance is not the best. My dad will qualify for Medicare in December of this year, but as we have now found, cancer does not wait for convenience. My dad will probably cringe at this, but I am reaching out for some financial help. He is facing staggering medical costs, on top of what the hospital and rehab stays have already accrued, along with the little things he has had to do around the house to accommodate my mom. I have no idea how much will ultimately be needed, but at this point any little bit can help.

Anyone that knows her knows that my mother is a jolly, vibrant, and extremely caring person. Right now she is scared, helpless, and worst of all, hopeless. My family and I want to make her as comfortable and happy as we can in the face of something this big. She is strong, she just doesn’t know how strong she is yet. I know people want to help, and as some of Mom’s favorites once said, “I get by with a little help from my friends…”