Isolated by duty

by Stacy
(Pittsburgh, PA)

Care giving of my mother has nearly cost me everything. I'm a 45 year old single parent to a 14 year daughter and caring for my 77 year old Mother. I have 5 siblings that not only are not any help, but have dramatically and traumatically hindered. As they would drop kids or dogs at my Mother's house for my Mother to take care. I stated this has to end. No longer an open door policy. Call first, don't just walk in and she is not taking care of your kids or animals.

Mom has been sick, she can't take care of herself let alone children or any additional animals. She already owns 2 Golden Retrievers. I had been taking my Mother in for numerous tests, and treatments for,what has been diagnosed as Barrett's Esophagus.
I decided to get a POA (Power of Attorney). My Mother's debt & inability to handle her finances, medical care etc...,, not to mention the house was in disrepair. The POA was to make it less cumbersome to talk with the appropriate parties, on my Mother's behalf. Easier to have a blanket authorization.

This set my siblings and my Mother's sister, my Aunt into a tizzy. My siblings created a legal battle, and after moving in June 18, 2009 (I had taken my Mother on vacation for a week in July of 2009, as she had not been away for 17 years) until August 29, 2009. SATURDAY AUGUST 29TH MY COP SISTER HAD ME SERVED WITH an Emergency PFA Protection From Abuse Order (usually used in breakups or divorces not a Mother and grandmother filing against her daughter and granddaughter) and my daughter & I were rendered homeless.


Thank God for friends and our church.

My eldest brother, without my authorization, removed my daughter & my belongings out of my Mother's house via a dump truck and a motorcycle trailer. Needless to say our things were not handled with care or concern. Well siblings were upset that I was cleaning the house out of stored debris. One brother complained to my mother about the POA and that I shouldn't have POA. Other sister barely had anything to do with our mother, limited interaction.

When my daughter and I had to leave the premises with 5 minutes to pack what we could & leave...school supplies, my heart medication, since I had a heart attack at 42 only 2 years prior to this.


This was 2 days before my daughter was to begin her 8th grade and final year at her school. She is now being treated for PTSD because of this specific incident created by her Aunts & Uncles. This almost cost me my daughter, certainly a lot of $$$$, my job, and other housing.