In 2024, our mother, Ellen, suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that left her completely paralyzed on her left side and dependent on 24/7 care for all activities of daily living.

In the year that followed, our father, David, devoted himself to being her full-time caregiver. He carried her in and out of the car so she could attend painting classes, visit friends, and make it to all her medical appointments. More importantly, he made sure she never felt alone. Through his unwavering love and dedication, he helped her with feeling safe, seen, maintaining her dignity, and finding joy despite the immense challenges she faced.

Tragically, in February 2026, David passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from an ischemic stroke. Since then, the responsibility of caring for our mother has fallen primarily to my brother, Brian, and me. In addition to managing her daily physical care, we have been navigating the financial and legal responsibilities that come with losing a parent. We do everything we can to support her, but unlike our father, we are not always physically able to lift her safely in and out of a vehicle, lift her into the shower so she could stay clean, etc. As a result, Ellen has spent much of her time confined to bed since David's passing.

The combination of losing her husband, grieving his absence, and being unable to leave the house has taken a significant toll on her emotional well-being. The activities and connections that once brought her happiness have become increasingly out of reach.

Brian and I both work full-time, and between ongoing medical expenses and the costs associated with our father's passing, we are struggling to have enough extra money to afford the resources that would help improve our mother's quality of life. We are creating this fundraiser with the hope of either 1. purchasing a used wheelchair-accessible van so she can once again attend her painting classes, visit friends, make medical appointments more easily, and simply enjoy being part of the world around her OR 2. renovating our shower to be wheel chair accessible so she can shower again.

Most of all, we want to honor our father's memory and the extraordinary love he showed our mother every day. Providing her with the freedom to leave the house, reconnect with the people and activities she loves, and regain some measure of dignity would be the greatest tribute we could give him.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for any support you are able to provide. If you are unable to donate we invite you to honor David’s life through learning more about him here: https://hannemannfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/5686543/Lazecko-David/index.php