My name is Sarah, but this story belongs to my mother Mary and her husband Eric.
This morning, Thursday, June 5th, at around 1:30 am, my mom knocked on my bedroom door. Before I could even open the door, she was telling me, “Eric is gone.” I immediately felt like time had stopped, my heart breaking at the pain I was witnessing and feeling all at once.
My mom and Eric got married on July 29th, 2023. The night before the wedding was my first time meeting Eric, and for the first time in 32 years, I got to see my mom truly and deeply in love. I will never forget that weekend.
Fast forward to December 2023, my mom and Eric moved in with me because soon after they were married, Eric got very sick. After less than a month, he was hospitalized for several months and eventually had to make a decision to leave the state to receive the type of long-term care he needed to survive. He has been in Illinois, bouncing between his nursing home and the hospital. My mom quit her job when Eric got sick and required full-time care. We had no way for her to go with him or even visit in the time he’s been gone.
All we ask right now is to be able to cremate him and to receive his remains so they can be together again. We are surviving paycheck to paycheck on my income between us and our two dogs and would greatly appreciate any possible help to get Eric home where he belongs. Mom made some phone calls today and found somewhere that can do exactly what we are looking for, for around $1,500.