Right now, more than anything, my Mom needs to come home, but we aren’t able to do it on our own. We need help in making our home safe and wheelchair accessible for her. We all have a person in our lives we come in contact with that just makes our lives a little bit better. A person that anticipates a smile or hug that you need A person who notices that the waitress looks extra stressed today, so they order something cheap on the menu, just so they can give them a bigger tip. Have you ever been in the line at the grocery store and come up a little short on cash, so the lady behind you hands over her (unbeknownst to you LAST) $20 bill and tells you to ‘keep the change’ then runs off so you can’t give it back? Well, that is Nana. Nana (Angela Barger) has been in an assisted living facility for the past 5+ years, 45 minutes from our home, following a stroke. We would call and check in with her daily to make sure she had what she needed and would often spend time chatting about our day. At the end of May, she went to the hospital and a rehabilitation facility for a few weeks. The assisted living facility (that was supposed to check on her twice a day and shower her twice a week) never noticed she was missing. Within three days I had located another assisted living place for her close to our home and began the arduous task of packing up her things and moving them into a storage unit. We used this time to get estimates on making our home wheelchair accessible so she could move in with us. Nana was released from rehab and after only 13 hours in her temporary home, she fell and broke 5 ribs. It was also at this time that the VA informed us that the facility she is currently in would not be covered by her VA benefits. (I am VERY proud to say that my Mom is a veteran of the US Army) She cashed in her only retirement account to help offset some of the rent until our home could be ready. Currently, her only income is Social Security and her savings will get her to the end of October in this facility before it runs out. Our home has a long way to go to be wheelchair accessible, but we’ve planned it out into 3 or 4 separate phases. We plan to save up money and pay each phase off as we go along. The process will take several years, but it’s the only way we can afford it. Unfortunately, we can’t even get it off the ground. Due to past bankruptcy, we were unable to secure any type of loan (even with her as a co-signer) We have offered to put her on our home title or even SELL her our home if that would help her qualify for a VA grant. Unfortunately, we found out that it wouldn’t help We have sought loans at 3 separate locations and have reached out to as many agencies as we can to get help, but are coming up empty My husband is talking to several companies about trying to refinance our USDA mortgage I have had to quit my full-time job to ensure there is someone with her at all times. I want to be the one to take care of her as she cared for me. It is a sacrifice to live at her house right now, and while I am happy to make it for her, I hate to inflict extra stress on my family at home. Having us all under one roof would be a great blessing for all of us My Mom has grown up with very limited means. She struggled through an abusive marriage and raised 3 children on her own. She has NEVER owned a home of her own, yet always managed to make where we lived HOME for us. She deserves so much more than what she has been given. I intend to take care of my Mom the way she deserves to be taken care of for whatever time she has left. She has always been the one to look out for others, and now, I ask for your help looking out for her. I wish I could give her the home of her dreams, but I can’t. I want merely to be able for her to call our home HER home. Nana has touched the lives of thousands and thousands of people, I have no doubt. For many years she worked as a librarian in Altoona, Pennsylvania and also at Fort Hays State University in Kansas. She had hundreds of students from all over the world that she worked with. Every single one of them could tell you what a generous and selfless person she is. She touches every life she comes in contact with. We aren’t all at a position in our lives where we can financially give right now, and THAT’S OKAY; but, could you share this page? If you have been blessed by knowing her, would you leave a message about how she touched you so that others can see what an amazing person she is? 100% of all money raised will go to making our home wheelchair accessible and moving her in. I look forward to posting updates and pictures at each new milestone! (PLEASE NOTE: Nana has no idea that we are doing this fundraiser. I don't want her to equate the money we raise with her value as a person)
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