Rebecca Lee

My name is Linda Melton, I'm Rebecca Lee's daughter. My mom recently passed away November 17th at home with the only family she had; my two boys, my sister, her two children and myself. Our mom has been fighting for a very long time with lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, and she had a stroke about two years ago. As a small family, us being all we've had, we stuck together to help mom keep her independence. July 18th this year changed all of our lives completely. I went to check on mom before work like I did daily. I found her in her bed and she needed help so rescue took her to the hospital and we found out that she had a double optical stroke. This is where the nursing home/rehab centers came in to help & hell started. They said mom couldn't live on her own and we had to figure something out. I had to clean & move mom's apartment between my sisters and my place. It took me a lil bit doing it alone with my two boys help, but we got it done. During mom's stay at the rehab center, we witnessed things we wouldn't do to a dying dog & one day we had enough & decided to take her outta that place for good. The rehab facility tried stopping us saying it wasn't ok for mom to come home that she had to stay there and we ( us 3, mom, me and Heather) said "oh hell naw!" We had to sign papers that day because we took mom outta the nursing home against medical advisory. Momma didn't want to be there & begged us to bring her home. Moms doctor's said we did the right thing bringing her home. She was happy being at home. Her mobility was limited due to the stroke but she had my sister there daily caring for her while I worked. Everything was good for about two months. Then I got a call from my sister Heather saying she called rescue for mom because she thought she was having another stroke. We found out that it wasn't a stroke this time, mom had tested positive for covid. They kept mom there a few days then transported to another nursing facility for "rehab". So here we go again, daily trips back & forth trying to be sure mom was eating and being cared for properly and she wasn't. I'd leave food she liked and they wouldn't give it to her, I'd find the meals I'd leave still in the fridge. She only ate when I was there and she got to where she couldn't eat but so much. Momma got lethargic and the nursing facility called to let me know they were taking her to the hospital to check her. Me & Heather met at the hospital to find that mom still had covid and they kept her there to treat her. That week, the care coordinator looked me in my face & told me that I could take mom home under hospice care or let her stay at the nursing home & I knew then I had to bring her home with me & my boys. At that point nothing mattered but our mom. We knew we didn't have much time left but still had hope our mom would bounce back like she did everything else in life. Her last days were spent at home with us where she wanted to be. That last week we had her we laughed, cried, talked about everything in life & listened to all the music she liked. November 17th our mom took her last breath at 9:10am and our hearts ripped to shreds. Our lives will never be the same without her. She was the one who taught me all about unconditional love and life. Getting through our first Thanksgiving only a week after her passing was the worst, but we cooked & ate as a family with many tears, memories shared & more tears. Mom didn't have anything planned out for end of life, so it's on me & my sister. We decided to have her cremated to keep her forever and there will be a celebration of life on December 23, 2023. This has been the toughest thing in life we've been through as a family and we will get through it together. I'm asking for any contributions to help cover her final expenses for cremation and services.