Support Vivian Katsock upon husbands passing

Hello, and thank you all for your kind words following my father’s untimely passing.

After receiving many encouraging words I have decided to set up a fundraiser to help my mother, Vivian, transition into living alone.

John Katsock (or Tot as we kids called him) was not only a father and husband, but also the main provider for the family. After numerous hardships he always got back up and back to work because my mother could not. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as far back as 1992, she has been on a decline that does not afford her the opportunity to work or provide for herself or family. With Tot now passing entirely too early, my mother is left without a source of income to keep herself afloat.

I want to be as transparent as possible:

With Tot passing my mother has a chance to receive some benefits as the surviving spouse, however, she may not be able to receive these benefits for another 2 years. Due to the condition of her disability, we are holding on to hope that she may receive them earlier.

If my mother were entitled to the full amount of benefits, we could scrape by and survive. At this time though there is no clear answer. What we do know is that she will be entitled to her benefits at 65, which is not for another 7 years.

At this time cost of living for my mother is around $1,000 a month. This is bare minimum, with family members already covering costs like phone, water, heat, etc. Ideally, we would like to set my mother up for roughly a year, providing either a year where we can transition to another style of living, or a buffer period until she either receives disability benefits or she comes closer to an age where she can collect surviving spouse benefits.

All money will be handled through me, Andrew Katsock, John’s eldest son. Money will be wired into my mother’s account where my uncle Victor Torrini will have access to, as his family has humbly taken on the responsibility of looking out for Vivian and John over the past decade or more at the cost of his own financial and personal expenses.

All money will be going to living expenses and will not be spent frivolously. We have already sold my fathers previous vehicle, as my mother no longer drives, to fund her expenses. There may be a time when my mother will need at home care that my aunt, uncle, and grandmother are not equipped to facilitate, but that will come with time. All funds will be used towards that end goal when it arrives on our doorsteps.