Support Carol Bertucci's Hospice Care

I am starting this GoFundMe on behalf of my mother-in-law, Carol Bertucci.

I have always known Carol to be a very outgoing and independent person. She has a love for anything involving nature and enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and kayaking where she could be with nature as much as possible.

Late in 2023, Carol started to realize that the things she enjoyed were becoming much more difficult. She chalked it up to age catching up with her. She decided to get checked up with a doctor anyway. After routine blood work was done, she was almost immediately sent for a blood transfusion due to low hemoglobin. Doctors began investigating.

In February 2024, she received devastating news. She was diagnosed with a very rare, terminal cancer: Blastoid Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a 1 in 900,000 cancer. Mayo Clinic gave her an expectancy of 5-7 years with a treatment/management plan.

Even though she received this devastating news, Carol kept her head held high and continued living life in a very inspiring manner. Like her daughter, she is tough as nails.

A few months into the first round of treatment, it was discontinued because it simply quit working for her. A new treatment plan was put in place, and it was almost immediately apparent that this one was going to be rough.

On Nov 11, my wife Heather received a call that her mom was in the emergency room with shortness of breath, low oxygen, and serious stomach pain. We rushed to the hospital to be with her. Because of a tanked immune system, she had an infection that went sepsis. She was admitted to the ICU for 6 days before being released to go back home. We were very hopeful she would turn in a positive direction.

2.5 weeks later, however, we found ourselves at her side once again in the ICU. This time, we were told her heart was beginning to fail and the cancer had spread through 96% of her marrow. Her treatments were ended, as they were no longer doing anything beneficial.

A tough call had to be made to bring Carol to a 24/7 hospice care facility. Unfortunately, with the treatments discontinued, this means she doesn't have much time left. Insurance also will not be covering her stay at this facility, which is the reason behind this fundraiser.

I am absolutely heartbroken for my wife Heather. She lost her dad in a very tragic manner when she was only 13 years old. Now she has to endure the pain of this. As her husband, I can't even begin to comprehend the pain she is feeling at this time. But like her mother, she is tough and she will do anything for her mom.

I am hoping this fundraiser will help ease the stress of medical bills piling up, so we can focus on being with Carol during her last days. We greatly appreciate any support we can get during these difficult times.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.