appeal

Toward the end of September my mother was rushed to hospital and found to have diverticulitis. Surgery left her with a hole in her stomach and a small bag for the collection of faeces. My stepbrother and his wife spent October with her (a colostomy is a high-maintenance installation). Reversal of the surgery was expected to take place in January; in the meantime she needed someone in the home to look after her.

My mother lives in Leisure World, a retirement community outside Washington. I s...