Dear Friends and Family: 

Well, here we go again. 

My mom, Pearl Malkin, has had another bad fall. 

The fall was on Tuesday, September 20th in the afternoon. One of her loyal day time caregivers, Stacey Wheatley, was there at the time, and it happened in a split second when Pearl was heading to the bathroom. It was a bad fall. She had a deep laceration on her head, about 1.5 inches almost to the bone of her skull. She hurt her leg badly, but thankfully she didn't break her leg. But she did suffer a fracture in her 4th cervical vertebrae. At first we were genuinely thinking this "might be it". Thankfully, the fracture turned out to be the more benign kind, which didn't put her at risk for paralysis, which was the fear when we all heard there was a fracture in her spine. She has a neck brace, is on pain medications, is bedridden since she came home  that night after hours at the ER. (I was frankly shocked that they wanted her to go home that first night. But thanks to Rhonda Karsch's willingness to stay that night with her, (Rhonda is our  chief caregiver and the beloved friend of Pearl's and the family) she got through the first night without further damage. 

However, here we are, again. 

The need for volunteers, the need for volunteer management, the need to control the calls coming in, the need to not have visitors overwhelming her, the need for funds to pay for 24/7 care (mostly to avoid Pearl falling again in the middle of the night upon needs for going to the bathroom). All these needs are back on the top of our minds and hearts once again.

For those of you who wish to donate to the fund to raise monies for her caregivers needs, look out for a new gofundme campaign that I'll consider starting over again. Any manner of contribution will be appreciated. 

The family will be meeting together today online to discuss our options and to clarify how and when each of us can show up for her. I believe Caring Bridge can be a resource - and remember that she loves knowing you are all rooting for her, sending your love, and support in whatever way you can support her. 

Until then, please avoid calling her at her home now for the time being. Let's use this resource if you'd like to convey a message. We'll try it for a while, and see how attentive we can be to this site. 

I thank you all for holding space, and sending your love, prayers, and financial support in whatever way feels right. 

Love, 

Gary Malkin