This may seem like an odd wish, but my mother is truly an amazing
woman who has been through a very terrible few years. I'd like to
be able to take her on a vacation. She is 57 years old, and has
never been on a real vacation before. She was married to my Dad for
40 years, we lost him last April to lung cancer. She was
hospitalized for almost a year and almost died, was in a coma and
on life support, and barely made it through her ordeal, but
received a liver transplant at the last possible moment.
Unfortunately, that was the last year of my dad's life. He tried as
hard as he could to visit her at the hospital with his portable
oxygen machine, but tired so easily. The hospital was 2 1/2 hour
drive away. He was going through chemotherapy and radiation
treatments at the time, and used every ounce of strength he had to
see he for just a few minutes a few times a week. After her
transplant, she had to go through months of physical therapy to
learn how to walk, talk, even sit up by herself again. By the time
she made it back home, dad was getting really sick, and he passed
away just a few weeks later. Then to make matters even worse, her
Cocker Spaniel Sassy who was the apple of her eye passed away last
week at the age of 14. My mom is a great lady, she has done so much
for everyone, and she is an avid animal rescue volunteer and
advocate. She used to donate money automatically from her paycheck
every week to animal and people organizations, but since her
illness, she is on a fixed income, unable to return to work,
suffering from depression, and financially ruined. I have done all
I can to help her, I have done live events, auctions, raffles, you
name it, I have done it. What I really would like is to take my mom
on a much needed vacation. She has ever had the money to ever take
one, because she has always been active in the community donating
her money to various causes. She deserves this, and I can't give it
to her, I am her only child, and I am struggling to get by.
