Marie Perkins' Medical Assistance

Hello all readers, this GoFundMe is being set up by Andrew Perkins, the son of Marie and Robert Perkins. In February, my parents celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary, and now they are going through the most challenging trial of their lives.

For over a month leading up to the end of May 2022, Marie was very ill but tried to muscle through it. If you know my mother, you likely know her as a very headstrong woman who doesn't like appearing weak or admitting she cannot do something independently. In the end, she developed severe enough symptoms that she needed to go to the local Emergency Room. Upon arrival, she was checked out and quickly admitted. Her preliminary diagnosis was liver cancer. Since then, further testing has shown that it is not strictly liver cancer but rather a combination of cancer throughout most of her organs. These organs include her liver, pancreas, lungs, and lymph nodes. Her spine has also been discovered as filled with cancer, fracturing the bones. Moreover, she was diagnosed with emphysema. Since the initial attempt to set up this GoFundMe, she has received the confirmation of results from the oncologist and has been given a bleak outlook, with perhaps a week to live.

Each week, she is being visited by nurses and a social worker, taking various pain meds, and attending several doctor's appointments. She is additionally in the progress of being transferred to hospice to keep her comfortable until the end.

I am setting up this GoFundMe to assist in future treatments and prescriptions and to ensure my parents can make it through this time without the need to sell everything they own to pay for the exorbitant medical bills. Even with GoodRx discounting some of her prescriptions, the cost quickly increases. To compound on that, some of the medications she is taking are not covered by GoodRx, and she is paying full price. As a couple, they have always relied on one income, with Mom being a stay-at-home-mom. This led them to minimal life savings, which would be unable to pay for these medical bills and support my father. 

Since the original symptom control began, her state has declined significantly, and hospice will be called in shortly to keep her comfortable, as her passing is expected in the near future. 

My parents were rarely able to afford health insurance in the past four decades, and now is no different for Mom. Even now, while sick and laid up in bed, she is often crying, stressed and worried about what my father will have to do to pay off the medical bills. No one in this much pain should have to compound it with fear of their spouse's future. 

Please, if you can help at all, whether it be $5 or $5,000, do it. Anything will be gratefully accepted, and I will ensure every penny of donations is used to its fullest to take this burden off my Mom.