Please Help Rebecca's Condo Be Safe After 2nd Fall

Hi. My name is Rachel. My aunt and I are working together to raise funds to help my 75-year-old precious and scared Momma, Rebecca (Becky Mullins from Hiram, Ohio), be safer in her condo after another devastating fall. Momma is a loving and selfless mother who devoted her entire career to helping others with their physical and mental health challenges. She was a psychiatric occupational therapist who worked for 32 years in the field. Now, she herself needs our help with overwhelming, unexpected life challenges.

Three years ago, Momma fell and broke both of her femurs. She had fractures due to osteoporosis, but these breaks surpassed any previous injury and pain. She fell on the cement steps just outside her front door and could do nothing but scream out for help. The pain was unbearable while waiting for an ambulance and also during multiple surgeries. The right leg had the most catastrophic damage, and the first surgery was unsuccessful and had to be repeated. It was only after the second surgery that the fracture in her left leg was also discovered. The pain was not manageable and she had no choice but to bear it. I am sick at my stomach just writing this.

Hi, my name is also Rachel. I am Rebecca’s sister and Rachel’s aunt. I’d like to fill you in on some other important background information to help you understand the magnitude of Rebecca’s current needs. At the time of the first horrible injury, Rebecca was in a relatively new relationship with a gentleman named Adrian. They met when he was 80 and she was 72. Rebecca was leaving her house to join him at a church picnic when she fell. She wondered if their fledgling relationship would survive after she was so incapacitated. We wondered as well. Adrian surprised all of us. He was completely devoted to Rebecca and amazed everyone with his loving attentiveness. He drove almost every day from his home 45 minutes away to be at her bedside. He brought her little gifts and treats to encourage her and expressed his love in words and actions. He really made the whole ordeal bearable.

It was impossible for Rebecca to go home during her recovery. It is a townhouse: laundry in the basement; bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. Adrian solved the problem. When Rebecca was discharged he moved her into his own home because he had a first-floor bathroom. They continued to grow to love one another and planned to marry when she was able. Planning her wedding gave her a reason to recover and a life to look forward to. Adrian took her to all of her doctor and therapy appointments. She progressed from a walker to a cane to being able to walk unassisted within Adrian’s home.

They were both incredibly grateful that they found each other so late in life and excited to see how their relationship would progress. They decided to wed. They made wedding plans. Rebecca bought a dress. They chose a place for their reception and made plans at Adrian’s church.

The wedding was not to be, however. In the spring of 2021, Adrian and Rebecca both got Covid-19. Rebecca’s case was mild. Adrian’s just kept getting worse. She listened to him coughing in the night and knew she had to do something. She had not even driven a car since her accident but found the strength to drive him to the hospital. The day she dropped him off was the last day that she ever saw him. Days of watching and waiting and hoping for a good report were not rewarded. Like many others, he had to suffer alone. She was not allowed to be with him and comfort him. When he died, no family was with him to hold his hand.

When Adrian died, his house became the property of his heir. On top of her grief, Rebecca had to summon the strength to pack up and move back to her condo. Her family rallied around her and made it happen. She was able to get some helpful services at home and was able to very carefully go up and down the stairs to get from the living area to the basement and upstairs to her bedroom and to the bathroom. She had to plan and place each step carefully and continued to have pain with every step.

This is Rachel, the daughter again. On June 26, 2022, Momma fell again, could not move and was taken by ambulance to the ER. Her right leg had never healed completely and the pain caused the sudden collapse of her knee. After the hospital, she was moved to a rehab center to undergo therapies, pain control, balance and endurance training. At this time, Momma's only option financially and emotionally is to return home to her condo. Although Rebecca owns her condo out right she cannot afford to move again and housing prices do not permit it anyway. That is why we are asking for your help to make her condo safer so she can live and hopefully thrive there. Momma cannot walk up or down the stairs and we all agree that a stairlift is absolutely mandatory. We found a wonderful local company to do the work at a reasonable price. A family member is willing to finance it but needs to be paid back.

KIT-HM-SL300 HM:SL300 Straight Stairlift $3,503.50

In addition to the stairlift, Momma also needs a shower chair and/or walk-in tub, an outdoor ramp so she can get in and out of her condo safely, a stackable apartment-size washer and dryer (her washer and dryer are located in the basement which is not accessible to her), several grab bars, and co-op fees and in-home help for at least three months.

If you are unable to help financially, we are also accepting prayers, love, well wishes, phone calls to check in on Momma and keep her company. Thank you for reading her story and thanks in advance for your response.