[Fredslist] What the Summer of Gotham Giving Meant to Me

[Rona Gura]

As many of you might know, my husband is a past recipiant of a donation from the summer of Gotham Giving. The charity he donated the funds to was the Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Foundation. He choose this charity because my Mom  died of complications from Parkinson's Disease.
 
My mother was incredibly kind, warm, and affectionate. She was my best friend and my role model. One of the most notable characteristics about my Mom was that she always put her needs and concerns last. Taking care of her husband, children, and grandchildren, were always more important to her than her own needs.
Parkinson’s insidiously robbed my Mom of her dignity by taking her physical capabilities and, in the end, her mental abilities as well. The last time I saw my Mom she could not walk, was barely able to speak, and did not recognize me. A few days after I saw her, she was given a feeding tube as she had lost her ability to swallow. Most Parkinson’s patients, at the end of their lives, lose their ability to swallow and, generally choke to death on their own saliva. Knowing that my Mom died in such a hideous manner is extremely difficult to deal with. My brother, sister, and I comfort ourselves with the hope that she may have been sleeping when it occurred.  
Holding a $5,000.00 check payable to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Foundation made me cry. I could only think that somewhere my Mom was watching over me and smiling.
Rona Gura
Breiter and Gura, LLP
377 Oak Street
Suite 201
Garden City, New York, 11530
P (516) 539-7900
F (516) 539-1095
Ronagura at yahoo.com
Rona at Breiterandgura.com

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