My Grandmother: Help Us Give Her a Farewell She Deserves

Dear Family, Friends and anyone who may be reading this,

I hope this message reaches you all with the warmth and comfort that seems so elusive in our current situation. Though I confess it's hard to find the right words at this very moment with the hurt I feel in my heart. With trembling hands and tear-stained cheeks, I reach out to you all in a moment of desperate need.

My beloved grandmother, Wilma Richard, 71 from Port Arthur, Texas is nearing the end of her courageous battle with Congestive Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease. Her once radiant spirit is now fading, and the thought of a world without her warmth and wisdom feels unbearable.

My grandmother always had health conditions she took care of as far as I can remember when she took care of me as a child. When my dad passed away November 2021 my grandmother’s health started to decline and now her health has been declining rapidly in a major way for the past few months. February 2024 my grandmother was taken to the hospital due to the fluid on her heart, they took care of her there and was doing dialysis temporarily for her kidney disease. My grandmother was then discharged to Cascades, a nursing home in Port Arthur, Texas that she stayed in for almost 2 weeks. During her stay there, we found out she had pneumonia she was then transported to Baptist Hospital in Beaumont, Texas. One day a nurse doing a routine check on her found her unresponsive in her hospital bed, CPR was performed to resuscitate her. After reviving her she was placed in ICU and placed on ventilator to help with her breathing. They then placed her on permanent dialysis, she was found unresponsive again and CPR was performed, and they revived her. Once all of that was over after a while, she was good to go to another facility called Bonnie Vie located in Port Arthur, Texas. She was able to stay there for a week and a half and then was able to return home to her family. Where me and aunt (Margo Mouton) were taking care of her. She stayed home for 4 days and was taken back to Baptist Hospital, we then found out she had fluid in her lungs. Her blood pressure was lower than normal, and dialysis wasn’t a option for her anymore. With no other options to really consider me and my uncle Maadiah (her son) we decided together to sign her up for hospice. My grandmother has been the guiding light of our family, the embodiment of love, resilience, and grace. Her laughter filled our home with joy, and her embrace offered solace in times of sorrow. Now, as we prepare to bid her farewell, the weight of grief is suffocating me.

As I sit by her bedside, holding her hand smiling and whispering words of love, I think of all the memories I have with her. I love my grandmother with everything in me and for loving me even harder taking on role as a mother figure when I lost my mom 2011 when I was 11 years old and raised me into the young lady I am now. My dad was around but you if you know me, I’m grandma baby. After my dad passed, she continued to be here for as always, we’ve always had each other back. My grandmother was always in church helping with anything whenever she could. She loved helping in the community and was in different clubs to try to make things better for her city. Her hobbies are arts and crafts. She would decorate beautiful hats that were used for wall décor. The reality of the days ahead looms large. The daunting task of arranging her funeral hangs over me like a dark cloud, compounded by the overwhelming burden of financial strain.

Coming to the realization that we need to get my grandmother’s affairs in order, we learned that she doesn’t have life insurance. She had been making payments on a policy for years, had her insurance documents and everything looked legit and when we tried to contact the insurance agency, we learned that the company was permanently closed. After taking all the steps giving and jumping through all loops and endless calls to so many different companies who were supposed to help us had been scamming my grandmother and now, she doesn’t qualify for life insurance.

In this moment of profound anguish, we turn to you all with a plea for help. We turn to the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers alike, knowing that together, we can ease the burden and honor Wilma Richard with the dignity she deserves. We’ve always had each other’s backs I must have hers more than ever now. That’s why it’s so important to me.

Your donation, no matter how small, will make a world of difference. It will allow us to celebrate Wilma Richard life without the crushing weight of financial worry, and it will remind us that we are not alone in our sorrow.

If you feel compelled to offer support during this harrowing time, please consider donating to our GoFundMe campaign [insert GoFundMe link]. Your compassion will be a beacon of light in our darkest hour, and we will be forever grateful for your kindness.

Thank you for holding our family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this heart-wrenching journey. With god on our side anything is possible. With love, gratitude, and an ache that words cannot express,

Shaidi Richard