Jennifer's Mom & Dad

Jennifer is in the unenviable position of caring for two terminally ill parents at the same time, with no living siblings to share the load and responsibility. When it became clear that her parents required more care than could be provided at home, Jennifer found them a facility to live in. It quickly became evident that their new home was not a good fit, and a move into a new group home was expensive. A friend reached out to Project 4031 for help, and we were able to assist with costs associated with moving both parents into a better care home to meet their physical and emotional needs. 

While disease has left both her mother and her father changed, Jennifer is able to look back on happier days. Her parents met when they were just twelve years old, attending the same church in Abilene, Texas. High school sweethearts, they married at nineteen and moved to Chicago so her father could go to school. Her father spent his career at General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, retiring in 2015, as a senior engineer who worked on F16s. Her mother did some work as a bookkeeper, but the bulk of her time was committed to being a stay-at-home mom.

Jennifer’s parents were very family-oriented, committed to eating dinner around the table as a family every night. They enjoyed visits to both sets of grandparents who continued to live in Abilene, and church was a central part of family life.

Growing up, Jennifer remembers special times with her dad, riding bikes, swimming, going to the park. He was the dad everyone wanted for their own. Her mom was very smart. Jennifer remembers that she could ask her mom anything and get the right answer. She was also very talented with a needle, crocheting king-sized quilts and making clothes and dresses. More than anything, Jennifer misses her conversations with her mom and always having someone to talk to.

Life with two terminally ill parents, both suffering from dementia, isn’t easy. It takes its toll on Jennifer, but she says, “it was a no-brainer” to move home when her father first became seriously ill. Family continues to be at the center of Jennifer’s life, even if her mom and dad are very different than they once were. We were blessed to have the opportunity to offer support and love to this family in their time of need, and to walk with Jennifer in this moment of her family’s journey.