Five Years for Mom: Honoring Wanda’s Legacy
On October 26, 2020, my life changed forever.
My mother came home from work experiencing difficulty breathing. She was rushed to the hospital, where she went into cardiac arrest. She was without oxygen for approximately eight minutes before arriving at the hospital and spent the next several days in an induced coma.
During that time, doctors discovered that she was also experiencing kidney failure.
What began as an ordinary day became the beginning of a five-year journey that neither of us could have imagined.
My mother spent the next three months in the hospital recovering from cardiac arrest. Because of the lack of oxygen to her brain, she became quadriplegic and would remain wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life.
At the time, I was a single mother raising three boys and my mother’s only child. I suddenly found myself balancing motherhood, work, the responsibilities of everyday life, and advocating for the person who had always been there for me.
For those three months, I spent countless days and nights going between my home and the hospital. I wanted to make sure my beautiful mother received the care, dignity, and support she deserved.
After leaving the hospital, she transitioned to an inpatient rehabilitation facility and eventually came home to live with me.
I became her full-time caregiver while continuing to work from home and raise my children.
I transported her to dialysis. I lifted her from her wheelchair and put her into bed. I helped her use the bathroom. I cared for her daily needs. I advocated for her medical care. I was her daughter, her caregiver, her voice, and her biggest supporter.
Eventually, the physical demands became more than I could safely manage alone. After approximately two months of caring for her in my home, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life and transition her into a skilled nursing facility.
Thankfully, Dolphin Pointe Healthcare was just around the corner from my home. Although she no longer lived under my roof, caring for my mom didn’t stop.
I was there every day.
For the next several years, visiting her, advocating for her and making sure she had everything she needed became part of the rhythm of my life.
And despite everything that had happened to her, my mother continued to live.
She didn’t allow a wheelchair to erase who she was.
She touched the lives of residents and staff around her. She became involved with the resident council. She played bingo. She painted. She participated in activities. She formed relationships. She laughed. She made memories.
She was still Mom.
Then, on November 14, 2025, after five years of this journey, I lost my mother to kidney failure.
I lost my best friend.
I lost a huge part of my world.
For five years, so much of my daily life revolved around my mother—checking on her, visiting her, making sure she had what she needed, advocating for her and simply being her daughter.
And then suddenly, that routine was gone.
I want to be very transparent about the purpose of this fundraiser. The funds raised will go directly to me. This is not a charitable fundraiser or a fundraiser for a kidney organization. It is a memorial fundraiser created in honor of my mother and the five-year journey we shared.
After spending those years pouring so much of myself into caring for and advocating for my mom, I am now learning how to move forward without her. The funds raised will help me create space to rebuild, invest in myself and my family, and honor my mother’s memory as I begin this next chapter of my life.
I don’t regret a single sacrifice I made for my mother.
If I could go back to October 26, 2020, knowing everything the next five years would require of me, I would still choose her.
I would still show up.
I would still advocate.
I would still make the trips.
I would still sit beside her.
I would still choose to be her daughter through every difficult moment.
And I would do it all over again.
My mother’s circumstances changed dramatically that day in 2020, but her value never did. Her life continued to have meaning, and she continued touching people until the very end.
This fundraiser is my way of saying:
Mom, those five years mattered.
Your life mattered.
Our journey mattered.
And I will carry you with me into whatever comes next.
If my mother’s story touches you, I would be grateful for any contribution toward this next chapter. If you’re unable to contribute, sharing her story and this fundraiser would mean just as much.
Thank you for helping me honor the life and legacy of my beautiful mother, Wanda.
In loving memory of Wanda — my mother, my best friend, and a love I will carry with me forever.
