Millie and Mike have shared a long life. Despite both of their (lifelong) disabilities which confine them to wheelchairs, they have remained together, stable and devoted to each other’s well-being.
Last year, the unthinkable happened. Mike suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in numerous hospitalizations and now, confinement in a nursing facility. To make it easier for their son to visit on a regular basis, Mike was placed in a home that is near his son but more than an hour away from Millie. Once each week, their son picks up his mother and brings her to his house and then to the nearby home to be with Mike. Millie reads to Mike, talks to him and holds his hand, certain that despite his lack of awareness he senses that she is there.
And now, a new crisis has occurred. The motorized lift on their son’s van has broken. Without it, Millie’s wheelchair cannot fit in the car and so, when she visits her son she is essentially trapped in the house, requiring help to go anywhere. The cost of repairing the lift was $700 but with very limited income and Medicaid, even that charge is difficult for Millie to cover. (Her son– with the responsibilities of a large family is also living on a limited budget and cannot take on this additional expense.)
A social worker who works with an elderly, indigent population shared Millie and Mike’s story with us this afternoon. Could the Good People Fund help?
Could we not? Within a few minutes of responding we learned that Millie cried when she was told the repairs would be covered. She “couldn’t believe that there were such nice people in this world.”
