Bring Carmen Home
Bring Carmen Home
Bring Carmen Home
Bring Carmen Home
Bring Carmen Home
This campaign is closed
Bring Carmen Home
Meet Carmen
Carmen is a 54 year old female and is on a journey in life with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. Carmen is married and a resident of Cleveland, Ohio. She has never had any children and only has her husband and a mother in Romania. Her sister died of this disease in 2012 as did her sister's caregiver husband one month beforehand. Until 2011, Carmen lived at her home in the United States. Because of her illness and her forgetting of the English language, Carmen and her husband decided to visit Romania so that she could spend time with her mother and enjoy her old memories from childhood. Carmen's mother refused to come to the United States and help with her or her sister's illness. In Romania, Carmen has been able to paint, sing, see her childhood friends, live peacefully and has outlived anybody in her family who has had this disease for over three years now.
Sadly, the disease has progressed to the point where she no longer recognizes where she is. Carmen is well cared for by her caregiver-husband as well as another woman hired by her husband to help out. Carmen's desire (stipulated in 2011) is to go home, back to the United States to her home that she and her husband worked and sacrificed to have. Unfortunately, Carmen and her caregiver-husband have become entangled in a feud with her family who are forcefully trying to keep her in Romania in an effort to preserve their rights of 'heritage'; in other words, just waiting for her to die for their gain.
How Did This Happen?
Carmen is on a meager disability pension in Romania and her husband-caregiver took his Social Security early in order to be her full-time caregiver. Although he chose this path, because of this, he will never be able to get full Social Security monies for the remainder of his life. Carmen was married to her husband in February, 1999 in the United States. While marriages in foreign countries are recognized in the United States, marriages performed in the United States are not recognized in the country of Romania and must go through a very time and money consuming process to be recognized. Because of this law, the courts did not recognize Carmen's marriage (as she could not register personally because of her Dementia) Unfortunately, Carmen's own mother and cousin decided to exploit this and have sought to take Carmen away from her husband and thus seize control of Carmen's joint assets. The Romanian courts did not even notify her caregiver-husband that such a procedure was even occurring; eventually giving custody to her 27 year old, totally unemployed third cousin that she barely knows and has a total distaste of. It was only by grace that her caregiver-husband found the letter from the courts that the family was keeping hidden from him. Currently, the Romanian police have refused to move on the situation due to the international implications. Carmen's husband, a Certified Dementia Caregiver, has been dealing with Carmen and this disease for over 10 years. Carmen's family knows nothing on how to care for a dementia patient and have put her health in great jeopardy.
Who Am I and Why Do I Care?
I am Carmen's husband, Philip, and have been taking care of her since the inception of this terrible disease in 2004. A sacrifice for love is not really a sacrifice as when it is done from the heart. Carmen's wish was never to remain in Romania. She always wanted to come back to her home in the United States. Her family wishes to keep her in Romania so that they can 'preserve' their heritage rights. Right now, my primary job in life is to give Carmen the peace and dignity that she deserves for her remaining time.
What are Carmen's needs?
Carmen needs to raise legal and travel funds for when her husband regains custody and is able to move her to a safe place while arranging for a new U.S. Passport as the family also took this away from her. We have already spent significant amounts in our fight. Airline tickets which were available before the summer airfare increases are no longer available. Attorneys both in Romania and in the United States will cause significant bills. This will likely evolve into an international case showing what the Human Rights of a disabled person actually are. Court battles are normally long and expensive but we hope this will not be the case. All funds raised will be allocated to legal and travel expenses in this effort to 'free' Carmen from the indignities caused by her family. Any remaining funds will be donated to the Romanian Center for Legal Resources; a Non-Profit fighting for Human Rights and Dignity.
What Is In It For You and Why Should You Care?
Check out these perks! Sorry, we cannot offer any sweet or glamorous goodies like in the normal campaigns, but if you join our team, you will be assured of a warm feeling inside that is difficult to beat. Carmen is not a hero (although she is my hero). She did not ask for this terrible disease nor all the heartbreak that goes along with it. All she did was get sick and find herself stuck in a place where she has lost total autonomy. If this can happen to her, it can and is happening to other people.
Sometimes we get overwhelmed by the problems of the world and it feels as if no matter what we do, we cannot make a difference. We have a chance to make a difference for a woman that has gone from speaking 6 languages to barely speaking and understanding. Carmen truly deserves the opportunity to see her wishes fulfilled and return to her home in Ohio where she can receive the care she needs during her remaining time.
Other Ways You Can Help
Every donation counts! If you cannot contribute, please get the word out to your friends. This story can reach many people and raise awareness for others going though possibly similar situations. Please share Carmen's story with any organizations that you may be familiar with that support the handicapped or the elderly. Post it on Facebook and please use the Indiegogo share tools.