Support Phyllis Gaines “Gone but not Forgotten”. 1942-2025!

Phyllis Gaines is my aunt, my mom’s sister. She has had a lot of difficult times over the past few years. We kept in touch periodically, but I noticed over time she had strange responses and odd reactions to things, even crying on the phone about things that didn’t happen but she was sure they did. I wasn’t sure what was going on then because it wasn’t the way she usually was when we talked. She was diagnosed with end-stage dementia. After a while, she didn’t recognize close relatives or friends.

Phyllis was about 10 years older than me, and when I was 16, I helped her a lot with things at her home and helped with the kids. We would do goofy, fun things too. We would paint and wallpaper rooms. We would cook meals together. We did one strange thing that most people can’t relate to. She drove a station wagon, and all the kids would be in the back seat, and I’d ride in the back of the wagon with the tailgate down looking for wild asparagus on country dirt roads. When I found some, she would brake hard, and I’d jump out the back to collect the asparagus. It was fun.

Phyllis was diagnosed this week as having had a heart attack within the past 2 weeks. After evaluation, the MD determined that her heart is functioning at about 10%. Phyllis is still alive but was taken off major treatments for a heart blockage. She is a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) status now. Her time on this earth is very limited while she’s getting treated at the hospital and will be transferred to Hospice care soon.

Phyllis’s daughter, Linda Carmon, has been the sole caretaker of Phyllis for the past 2 years. Phyllis had no money to cover expenses and no life insurance or other options to cover expenses.

I am respectfully requesting family & friends to support Linda financially as she has been burdened with lack of sleep, expenses of her mom’s uncovered care, unplanned travel, and the expenses of traveling to take her for medical care, hotel accommodation, and the hospital and hospice expenses.

One child should not be burdened with everything, but she has graciously taken on the tasks to help her mom have as good of a life as possible while waiting for her final time on earth.

Any amount given will be most appreciated. If you can’t give anything, please at least say a prayer that others able to will help out.

Thank you, and I hope that you never have to go through what Linda and her husband Wayne have gone through and done over the past two years.

Aunt Phyllis passed away this evening - 2/19/2025! RIP