Darlene Poisson Needs Your Help
Donation protected
For those of you who know Darlene, you know she is a selfless college employee at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California. For 25 years she has dedicated her life serving students with disabilities in the Disability Support Services Office. On May 12 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal cancer. Her situation is complicated as she has also lived with muscular dystrophy her whole life.
Because of the MD her needs for caregivers at this time are critical and greatly increased. This is extremely expensive. Darlene has always used a wheelchair and had to be very creative in solving problems she’s encountered over and over throughout her life. This time is the exception. In the past she had use of her arms, hands, and could hold up her head. This meant she could eat and drink independently. She could drive her power wheelchair with ease. Lifting her hand to simply scratch her nose or get to her keyboard to work was not a problem. Now those movements we take for granted are no longer there. When she is alone. She is vulnerable in totally new and frightening ways. Because of this I created this fund with the goal of having caregivers who are there so she is not afraid and alone.
She has given so much to so many students with disabilities and to everyone she encounters over her 25 years at the college, my hope is that we can give back to Darlene now in her time of need.
She has never asked for financial support of any kind before. She has no family here and has relied on herself to manage her complex care and costs. For the first time she can’t do that. Her doctors have given her up to 6 months to live. The in-home care she gets from health care doesn’t begin to provide her any level of comfort now. She needs care 24/7 to provide a minimum basic care now at home for positioning, feeding, etc. Currently, she only gets a caregiver twice a day for one hour each time. The level of care she needs now will cost up to $9,000 a month. I know this is a lot, so I’m hoping you can spread this URL far and wide so we can provide a humanitarian level of care for Darlene. No amount is too small. Please know that we are working to provide the best care for Darlene with any amount that we receive.
Because of the MD her needs for caregivers at this time are critical and greatly increased. This is extremely expensive. Darlene has always used a wheelchair and had to be very creative in solving problems she’s encountered over and over throughout her life. This time is the exception. In the past she had use of her arms, hands, and could hold up her head. This meant she could eat and drink independently. She could drive her power wheelchair with ease. Lifting her hand to simply scratch her nose or get to her keyboard to work was not a problem. Now those movements we take for granted are no longer there. When she is alone. She is vulnerable in totally new and frightening ways. Because of this I created this fund with the goal of having caregivers who are there so she is not afraid and alone.
She has given so much to so many students with disabilities and to everyone she encounters over her 25 years at the college, my hope is that we can give back to Darlene now in her time of need.
She has never asked for financial support of any kind before. She has no family here and has relied on herself to manage her complex care and costs. For the first time she can’t do that. Her doctors have given her up to 6 months to live. The in-home care she gets from health care doesn’t begin to provide her any level of comfort now. She needs care 24/7 to provide a minimum basic care now at home for positioning, feeding, etc. Currently, she only gets a caregiver twice a day for one hour each time. The level of care she needs now will cost up to $9,000 a month. I know this is a lot, so I’m hoping you can spread this URL far and wide so we can provide a humanitarian level of care for Darlene. No amount is too small. Please know that we are working to provide the best care for Darlene with any amount that we receive.
Organizer and beneficiary
Patti Flores-Charter
Organizer
Coronado, CA
Darlene Poisson
Beneficiary