The Jean Lawlor Legacy Fund
The fund…
The Jean Lawlor Legacy Fund was Jean’s answer to the question of her legacy. It was her vision to support Anam Cara Caregiving in order to create meaningful and reliable work in our community. Since opening in 2019, Anam Cara Caregiving has cared for over 50 clients and provided flexible and meaningful work for nearly 70 caregivers. We are honored to care for our greater Lander community.
It is my hope–and the hope of Jean’s sisters–that this fund will be a way to keep her spirit alive.
Where do funds go?
We value hiring high-quality caregivers and paying them a fair and competitive wage, while keeping costs affordable for our community. Clients pay, on average, $30/hr for care, while the actual cost of care is over $50/hr.
The quality of our services is only as good as the caregivers that we retain. This requires paying more than trending wages in the industry. We are committed to hiring caregivers with the character, ethics, and morale that align with our vision of care. Donations from our community ensure we can avoid charging more for care or paying less to caregivers, thus providing the highest quality of care at a fair cost.
Anam Cara recently added 2 RN Case Managers to provide around-the-clock support for clients, family members, and caregivers. These two positions enable the ongoing creation of jobs and opportunities in our community that Jean wanted to support. These jobs rely solely on community support and fundraising, and are the backbone of our quality, heart-centered care. (And, I must proudly add that one of these RNs came to us through Jean Lawlor herself. Magic! I thank Jean for her every day!)
Who is Jean?
Anam Cara had the honor of caring for Jean Lawlor during her last days of life. Jean was 58 years old when she died. She had received a diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer only 8 weeks before she passed away. Jean’s rapid decline and memorable passing left a significant imprint on my heart, especially as it relates to reflections of meaning, purpose, and legacy.
Anam Cara Caregiving supported Jean and her three loving, dedicated sisters by creating a 24/7 caregiving team that allowed Jean to remain at home through her final moments. Jean was clear: she did not want to spend undue time in the hospital or any facility that wasn’t her home, and her sisters knew they needed help with her complicated and evolving needs.
Intertwined with the hope of recovery, Jean realized within her last week of life that she wasn’t going to rebound from cancer. She began to ask herself the hard questions that many of us ignore while healthy: What have I created in this life? What meaning/legacy am I leaving behind? What is left undone? With two months between diagnosis and death, Jean found herself on an accelerated path of fighting for life, reviewing the life she had lived, wondering about the details and unknowns of death, contemplating her legacy, and grieving her regrets.
One day Jean shared her fears, regrets, and heartache about leaving this world sooner than she had ever imagined. At one point she clearly stated: There are more trails to hike. There are more dogs to adopt. There are people in Lander to meet–I’ve been so blind to have not seen the amazing people that live here. I’m not ready to leave. There is more life for me to live. She wondered about her legacy: I didn’t have any children. I don’t have a significant other. I haven’t contributed to the community as I could have. I’ve isolated myself from the community, and now I see how important connection and friendship are. What does that mean about the life that I have created? What am I leaving behind?
I always admired Jean for being direct, and honest. Her strength in character and physical body showed up as a superpower in her final days. Jean was open to any conversation. She didn’t need sugar-coating. We spoke openly about the trajectory of her decline and what it would look like to transition to Plan B since Plan A (living until a ripe old age) wasn’t in the cards.
As we discussed what mattered most, Jean could hear that it wasn’t over until it was over. She could see that she still had precious moments to create a life that mattered, a life she was proud of. This is what Jean said was most important to her in her last week of life.
I want to connect with my sisters and feel close to them. Jean was so grateful that her sisters took time out of their lives to spend such a critical time with her. It was important for her to not just exist with them, but to connect in meaningful ways. I still remember the loving reflections she openly shared about her admiration of each sister.
I want to provide jobs for my nurses and caregivers so they have financial security and are taken care of in their pursuit to do their meaningful and appreciated work. Jean provided consistent and reliable work for our caregivers as a gift of respect and acknowledgment of their value.
Acknowledging her inability to leave the house anymore, Jean shared: I want to build friendships and community with the caregivers taking care of me. I am meeting so many wonderful people whom I didn’t even know existed in Lander, and I want to build friendships with them and stop hiding from people. I remember her reflecting that love is the answer, the purpose of life.
Read Jean’s obituary to learn more about her adventurous life.
Thank you for helping us care for our sick and elderly. Your support offers comfort, dignity, and peace through the aging and dying phases of life.
There are three ways you can donate…
Check mailed to:
Anam Cara Giving
909 Fremont St
Lander, WY 82520By clicking on the DONATE NOW button below