Life will be changing.

[arcanum70]

Well, my life is going to be changing in the near to not far out future (within the next few months to a year, year and a half). As many know I am a caregiver for my mother who has stage 4 cancer and is a diabetic. But, I am also taking care of my father who has COPD. Well, last summer he was diagnosed with and treated for lung cancer. We just found out that the cancer spread before he was treated and is in multiple body systems and is now stage 4.

Tomorrow he is going to get a transfusion because he platelet levels are low (below 7), and he isn't expected to be around that much longer.

We have all made peace with this, and are now looking to the future. For me the focus is my mother and making sure that she has a secure future. Unfortunately my father has throughout my life ignored any financial advice that I tried to give, and as a result will be leaving my mother less than 12 thousand in insurance policies, and nothing more. So, I will no longer be able to continue as her care giver as even with our two combined incomes we won't be able to afford rent, utilities and other expenses. So she will probably be going into an assisted living facility in upstate NY by where my sister lives.

I will be losing my car and giving up most of my other possessions (computer...etc), and my plan is to take my bike, my tent some clothes and go to a warmer climate where year round or near year round riding is possible, and hope to be able to find some kind of job. I would get back into driving truck, however damage to my hip from the years of driving that I have done would prevent me from doing this.

Not much of a plan, but it is what it is, and life happens.  I will keep everyone on her updated as I can, and I hope that my father proves the doctors wrong like my mother did and is with us for a long time, however one never knows how these things will work out.

I've heard that the job market is decent in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, so my plan is to head in that direction when my mother is settled. I'm hoping for the best, but making plans in case the worst happens.

[Rebel]

Life just does not seem fair sometimes. I am very sorry to hear about the problems your parents are having and the options that are available to you at this time.

Having been a care giver, have you considered going back to school and getting a license for nursing? I do not know the wage scales for the Southern States, in my part of California an LVN (LPN) can make $20.00/hr or better, an RN can get double that. Locally here a couple of the towns adult school schools have an LVN program that is essentially free and run about a year in length.

Texas has a much better job market than most states do but the Summers there can be pretty uncomfortable. Summers in New Mexico can be nicer if you are in the Northern part of the State but Winters are chilly at times. With any nursing license a job can be found anyplace.

[craisin]

cheer up i was going to live in my Van a few years ago but the van got stolen

If they steal your tent they have stolen your dreams

Remember when love was free girls were more inclined to agree and life was good you have to recapture things of the past but not including old lovers

You have to maintain some type of happiness in your life but your sanity could be in the way