In Loving Memory of Rhea Palma
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Kaitlin and I made this GoFundMe in hopes that it will help my family. The woman in the picture is my mom; she was a Breast Cancer survivor and a Lupus fighter. Over the years her health fluctuated and in late 2022, her Lupus came back hard and she developed the Kikuchi disease. Kikuchi disease affects the cognitive function of a person and renders them confused and helpless. For example, she had extreme difficulty remembering important and major events of her past (including forgetting about me and her husband- my dad- for a little bit).
After months of taking her to IVIG appointments in hopes that it will help her brain, another unfortunate situation hit us this New Year’s. My mom was met with continuous waves of pain in multiple spots of her body due to the flaring up of Lupus. When we took her to the hospital she was able to hold conversation and although in pain, still show signs of complete awareness.
But then because of her abnormal immune system, she convulsed and passed out. For several minutes she had to be resuscitated. Her lungs failed so she had to be put on life support with a ventilator machine. Soon after, more of her major organs failed as well, and so she was hooked to more machines. A heart pump for her failed heart, and dialysis for her failed kidneys. She stayed in a vegetative state for two days and was mostly unresponsive except for the few times she woke up and showed awareness through eye contact and pained head nods. Then, the doctors told us we had to make a decision. We chose to relieve her from her pain, discomfort, and suffering. Now she is with God in heaven watching over us.
With my mom unable to work for the past year and a half, paying bills and getting simple things like groceries and gas has been a terrible struggle; her death only made things harder. At this point it doesn’t feel like we’re living, but merely surviving. Any support would be greatly appreciated and donations would be used to help Rhea Palma’s family survive until we get through this heartbreaking event and a portion will also help us with the funeral costs.
After months of taking her to IVIG appointments in hopes that it will help her brain, another unfortunate situation hit us this New Year’s. My mom was met with continuous waves of pain in multiple spots of her body due to the flaring up of Lupus. When we took her to the hospital she was able to hold conversation and although in pain, still show signs of complete awareness.
But then because of her abnormal immune system, she convulsed and passed out. For several minutes she had to be resuscitated. Her lungs failed so she had to be put on life support with a ventilator machine. Soon after, more of her major organs failed as well, and so she was hooked to more machines. A heart pump for her failed heart, and dialysis for her failed kidneys. She stayed in a vegetative state for two days and was mostly unresponsive except for the few times she woke up and showed awareness through eye contact and pained head nods. Then, the doctors told us we had to make a decision. We chose to relieve her from her pain, discomfort, and suffering. Now she is with God in heaven watching over us.
With my mom unable to work for the past year and a half, paying bills and getting simple things like groceries and gas has been a terrible struggle; her death only made things harder. At this point it doesn’t feel like we’re living, but merely surviving. Any support would be greatly appreciated and donations would be used to help Rhea Palma’s family survive until we get through this heartbreaking event and a portion will also help us with the funeral costs.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kaitlin Palma
Organizer
Menifee, CA
Don Gilbert Palma
Beneficiary