My emergency fund has barely begun to get built up from the last emergency when another one comes along. My mom called me on Monday to tell me that my Dad’s health had been failing rapidly over the last week. He has been in a slow decline for the past year. They had taken him to the cardiologist and he had done some blood tests but had warned her that he didn’t think there was much he could do.
I was making plans to drive down next week. Getting finances in order, making sure that we would have the funds to not only come down for a few days but also to have the bills paid at home. There is not a lot of excess money in our budget as a matter of fact, there is practically NO excess. At any rate, I thought that I had it covered and we would both be able to make the trip.
On Tuesday morning, my Mom called in tears. She had reason to suspect that she was having an episode of diverticulitis. She had one once before and almost died. She was crying because she did not know what she was going to do about my Dad as he cannot stay alone. She made an appointment with the doctor and called me back later saying that they were indeed going to hospitalize her that day and that they had checked my father in as well.
I had to use the emergency fund to come down to take care of their house and animals. I left Tuesday afternoon and arrived late Tuesday night. When I got to the hospital on Wednesday morning, they had given my father 4 units of blood over night. Apparently he has internal bleeding somewhere and that is the reason that he has been going downhill so quickly.
They are both scheduled for tests this morning and we should have some answers about what is causing this. In the meantime, I am staying here taking care of things. While it is not particularly costly to stay here, it does limit my ability to bring in income at home so I guess the emergency fund will get a workout paying the monthly bills as well.
I am thankful both that I have it available and that it looks like my parents will be well and home again soon. And I will be back to building my emergency fund up again.
Related posts:
- ReBuilding the Emergency Fund Why do we have an emergency fund? I have found...
- Emergency Fund: Is This Enough? Today I will be depositing $1000 in my Emergency Fund...
- 401(k) vs The Emergency Fund In talking to a friend about building an emergency fund,...
- STATE OF EMERGENCY fund It’s been a week and my eBay activities have been...
- Broke? How To Start An Emergency Fund Almost every article you read about debt reduction advises you...
Tags: emergency fund
You are really dealing with a lot right now. I hope things work out okay for you and your parents. I admire you for continuing to stay true to your financial goals and for updating your blog even though you are under a lot of stress.
I’m so sorry to hear that both your parents are sick! ::hugs::
My dad has diverticulosis but it’s pretty mild and he’s never had to be hospitalized – still I know how unpleasant it is. I hope they both recover quickly!
Eileen, Sometimes updating my blog is as much an escape as it is a chore. It keeps me motivated to do other things.
Thanks, Spilling Buckets and Eileen for your kind thoughts.
When I was in a situation similar to yours 30 years ago, I had to seek healing for myself as well as my mother. Today at 76 my income from Shaklee covers all my needs and wants and gives me health and wellness to travel the country in my RV. The focus has been on others who need what Shaklee has to offer and hundreds have found what I found. Check out my website and contact me. Pray health is restored to your family.
Hi Alice, I also swear by Shaklee. It is the only thing other than clothes and my computer that I brought with me. I don’t know what I would do without it. Bless you for your kind thoughts.