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Daily Archives: Tuesday 29 August 2006

Oxygen Donations

I started to write, then I deleted. I came back to the pc an hour later and did the same thing, and that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing for the past few days. There’s no easy way to ask for donations, and quite frankly, I’d feel more comfortable sitting on a street corner in NYC holding a hat than I do asking my internet friends/acquaintances/readers to help me out.

Actually it’s not for me, it’s for my mom, I want to get her a portable oxygen unit, so she can leave the house more often. At the moment she’s scared to venture outside since she becomes out of breath after walking about 10 feet. My dad has taken her to the grocery store twice since she was diagnosed and pushed her around in a wheelchair, but she gets anxious, and we all know when you get anxious breathing becomes even more difficult. As a result she spends most of her time in the house, close to the large oxygen tank the NHS has provided.

She does have the full size oxygen generator in the bedroom, which eases my mind after hearing nightmarish stories about patients having to wait far to long for replacement oxygen canisters to be delivered, but neither are easily portable. When my mom went for radiation treatment last week my dad ( no spring chicken himself) loaded the big tank into the car just in case she needed oxygen while they were travelling the 45 minute drive to the hospital. Don’t know how that’s going to work out when she has to start the chemo.
The portable oxygen units are $5495 (I called this morning), I’ve yet to find the price in pounds, I guess I’ll do that when I get home, and I just can’t swing it. My credit card just took a beating with the two tickets I bought to go home next week, and I’m sure it’s going to take another beating in the year to come when I have to make another trip home.

So there you have it, me asking for help. Considering my readership isn’t that huge I’m not expecting miracles but it’s worth a shot. Every little bit will help.

Thanks

Update – paypal is over in the sidebar, apparently the one here didn’t work.

My dad

Re – my mom

my dad April of 2006My dad is drained. He’s on his toes 24 yrs a day without much sleep and it’s getting to breaking point. Not only is he doing all the things she used to do – cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. – he’s also looking after her and he’s not sleeping. She’s in the back bedroom, and being the proud person she is, and not wanting to accept the fact she can’t do what she used to do – what you and I take for granted – instead of calling my dad for help when she needs to go to the bathroom, she’s struggling to do it herself.

my mom April 2006Last night she fell twice. Once walking to the bathroom, and once while she was in there. The second time she tripped over the wire which connected her to the oxygen situated in the bedroom. Consequently my dad is spending most of the night listening for her, and running to her aid when he hears her move. If she would just do as she promised and call out when she needs to go, he’d sleep better, even if it were only for a few hours a night – which is more than he’s getting at the moment.

Hell, even I have to give myself chance to wake up before I throw my legs over the side of the bed or I’d probably land head first into the closet.

Consequently he’s losing patients because me mom just doesn’t seem to get it, or chooses to ignore the severity of her condition.

I can’t begin to imagine what either are going through, I guess I’m going to get smacked in the face with that reality when I fly home at the end of the week, but right now, wtf frequently escapes my lips.