Sherell "Sherry" Shaffer
Donation protected
Thank you for taking the time to read this fundraiser; any donated amount would be beneficial.
My mother was a bright, vibrant, and caring mother; three years ago, she drove her grandchildren to school, worked in her garden, and cleaned her home. Mom had just retired from 42 years at the board of education; she was settling into retirement. When things took a turn for the worse, we were contacted by Maryland State Police, and my mom's sister had single-handedly wiped out my mother's account. Walmart had her on camera going in and out of Walmart six times a day. Withdrawing money. My mother trusted her. After all, she was helping my mother with cleaning and other personal tasks but was never told to wipe out my mother's account to the tune of about 12K. So 64 felony counts against the sister, then COVID hit. The court was postponed at least ten times. Then on the day mom was supposed to try to make it into court, she had a seizure. Everything was thrown out. I am explaining this part cause my mother's heart was broken. She cried for days. The simple task like working the remote and adjusting the thermostat wasn't possible after what seemed like a hundred or so tests and blood work countless times. Finally, it was determined that she had a rare brain disease, so her neurologist told me that only 2,400 cases are confirmed in the U.S.
- At first, mom lived with me for about two months, but her doctor and I quickly realized that the disease was rapidly advancing, and she needed more professional care. Mom made me promise I would never put her in a nursing home. Alone, this was painful enough; mom had always said, "once my mind goes, I want to go" I was witnessing this right before my eyes. With mom in the nursing home now, I was told she couldn't have any bills except Med-care and Med-caid; all her life insurance and health insurance I was told needed to be canceled due to the amount of care she needed. It sounded absurd to me, so I double-checked and found out that this was the case, and since I was a power of attorney, wasn't anything I could do either. With mom working for the board of Education for so long, I thought she would have something with them for when she passes. However, when I called, they did say I was listed as the beneficiary, although there weren't any benefits. I know it didn't make sense to me, and after making phone calls and talking to both the Maryland retirement board and the nursing home, that mom somehow changed her benefits, thinking she was doing something good when she messed up her benefits. Since this is the only conclusion that makes sense to me.
So mom passed in the nursing home on July 28, at 4 am. She was on comfort measures, so I at least knew she was comfortable. However, she was unrecognizable, and since I, my wife, and the boys had just been up at the nursing home to see her, I believe she was waiting to say goodbye. My mom was loved by all who knew her, and she always loved everything about life, especially her grandkids. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please know all your help is deeply appreciated. With the cost of living nowadays, having three boys, two are teenagers, and mom not having benefits, Nursing home bills, and the funeral cost are all totally up to me.
Thanks again for all your help!
Organizer
Brett Shaffer
Organizer
Cumberland, MD