My name is Kathy Frawley and I am 56 years old. My cat Rose and I came to Mayo Manor May 25, 2016 from a nursing home in McRae, GA , which is 3 1/2 hours from Atlanta, where I had spent 1 year. Rose has been with me for about 8 years and is an Emotional Support Animal.
For over 30 years, I worked in telecommunications, most recently as an Order / Project Manager. I contracted with AT&T, British Telecom, and Verizon to name a few. Though I worked domestically, I over saw the installation of voice and data networks across 5 continents,
On Thanksgiving of 2013, after enjoying a nice dinner out with friends, I fell leaving the restaurant and completely broke my right humerus. For 15 months, we waited to see if it would heal on it’s own, but it didn’t. In January 2015, I had surgery to repair my arm. They re-broke it and put in a plate with 8 screws. When I woke up from surgery, I could not walk, stand, sit or lift my legs off of the bed. We really don’t know why. I wasn’t paralyzed. A trip to rehab was fruitless as I was continuously sick with respiratory illness and MRSA UTI. I was unable to receive adequate rehabilitation. I was completely bed-ridden for 5 months resulting in the time spent in the nursing home where I continued with many lung issues including a MRSA lung infection. I really struggled with depression not seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I had told the staff at the nursing home that I didn’t come there to die. I prayed earnestly and Rose was my saving grace.
The social worker told me about Wishes 4 Me. I applied for the Money Follows the Person and the Independent Care Waiver Program and was accepted into the programs. This provided the resources I needed to leave the nursing home.
Since coming to Wishes 4 Me, I have stopped using a wheelchair to get around inside the house. I can walk using a walker. I am now using the shower with assistance where I used to require bed baths. I am able to dress myself 98% where I used to have almost total assistance. I’m feeling stronger and more positive than I had in a very long time. I can now get myself in and out of bed. I have been able to go out to lunch, to Wal-Mart and to a Gwinnett Braves baseball game. Simple things like these I took for granted and now appreciate them so much. It has helped to lift my spirits and again feel like a part of society.