Heartbreak and hope: Two Season for Caring families see change in health
These past few months have been very hard on Charles Richard, 50. His health has continued to deteriorate. His stage 4 lung cancer has spread to more parts of his brain, the top of his hip and his skull.
While he is receiving care through Austin Palliative Care for pain management, some have asked him to consider hospice care and stop treatment.
Richard is not ready for that. "It's not the end of my life yet," he said. "I'm not going there. I'm not even going to entertain that."
Richard and his wife, Nicole, are part of the Statesman's 25th Season for Caring program, which helps local families with basic needs such as rent, groceries and medications through local nonprofit organizations. The Richards were nominated by Austin Palliative Care.
Since the launch of the 25th Season for Caring program on Nov. 19, the program has raised $1,557,578.39 in cash and in-kind donations of goods and services. It is the second-most successful season since the program began in 1999. The Statesman is just $22,000 away from reaching $20 million donated in 25 years. Giving for this season continues through Jan. 31.
Read more: 12 families featured in the 25th Season for Caring program. Here's how you can help.
Richard, who uses a walker, is increasingly having difficulty walking. He needs a garage door installed so he doesn't have to walk up and down the driveway to get into the car or house. The couple also really needs legal help to file for bankruptcy, and they need cremation services if things continue to deteriorate. A new treatment to help the cancer in his bones will require him to get two teeth pulled under sedation. He needs a dentist who can do that for him.
The biggest thing that people can do for the Richards is to donate funds to Season for Caring to keep them in their home while he is unable to work and she is his full-time caregiver. Contact Austin Palliative Care, 512-397-3360, option 3; austinpalliativecare.org.
Learn more: Comfort care, palliative care, hospice care explained
For Cody Campos the news is good. The 28-year-old, who has had cerebral palsy since birth, has been taken off hospice care and will move onto palliative care through Austin Palliative Care.
The move from hospice care is bittersweet, said mother Phyllis Campos, because she loved the hospice team. "I've gotten very close to everyone," she said. "But he's really good. He's doing a lot better from a lung standpoint. His heart is good. ... He's not dying."
Cody had seen a deterioration in his lungs and been hospitalized in 2022. He was then put on hospice care through Hospice Austin. While his condition has improved, Hospice Austin will continue to support the family as its Season for Caring family.
It is not unusual for a person to start hospice care and then improve because of the care they receive, said Hospice Austin's Melinda Marble. "The support really does help," she said.
If Cody's condition changes, he can return to hospice care. The family still is looking for a dentist to provide sedated care to fix Cody's teeth that are causing immense pain. They also need help with more caregivers and lawn service. Contact Hospice Austin, 512-342-4700, ext. 4726, hospiceaustin.org.
About Season for Caring
Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 24A and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to “Statesman Season for Caring.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Two Season for Caring families see changes in health
