Got Crisis? Emergency Fund can help with that.

My mom was diagnosed with liver cancer and lives a 2 hour plane ride away.    No one ever wants to think that something like this can happen but… it can and … it did.

March 2017, a week before mom's 72nd birthday, she got the news that she had a large tumor in her liver.  Doctors said she was lucky because it was contained.  All she needed was surgery (no chemo) and her life would go back to normal.  Ever since that day it has been anything but.  The first time I flew home was for 10 days to help with her pre and post surgery preparation.

In short, the next few months was a whirlwind of flying back and forth, while mom went into and out of the emergency room a total of 5 times (twice almost dying).

Then, finally, a break in the chaos, she finally stabilized.  Doctors proclaimed her “cancer free”.  The tail end of 2017 was uneventful and we were grateful for the monotony that comes with the everyday.

March 9, 2018, mom called me crying.  She had a doctors appointment earlier that day and it was our routine that she would call me after each doctor appointment.  She said the cancer had come back and that I needed to call the doctor.  I couldn't believe it.  My first thought was that she must have misunderstood and I told her it was going to be ok.  The doctor and I finally touched base at 5:00pm that day.  He confirmed what my mom was trying to tell me.  The latest scan showed 3 new tumors in her liver.  He went on to explain that she was ineligible for surgery a second time due to the number of tumors and the amount of liver left from the previous year surgery.

This time mom decided to go with chemo pills.  She doesn't leave her house because she sleeps all the time and has lost a considerable amount of weight.

Mothers Day, I will be going home for what I know will be our last time together as a family.

I don't know how many more times I will need to go back and forth to help mom in the months to come or how much her care will cost as the cancer progresses.

I am eternally grateful for the lessons she taught me in managing my finances to always “keep a little put away for just in case”.  “Just in case” is here and now I can be there for her.

Thanks mom for teaching me the patience and discipline that comes with building and keeping an emergency fund.

For most, emergency funds are not thought about until its too late.  Life can be stressful enough, no need to add a financial stress on top of everything else.

Grab Your Slice!

Pie Lady FI