Why we built Sandy’s Porch
This is my mom, Sandy. She was one of the kindest, most present people I’ve ever known. Her porch was always open to neighbors, friends, and strangers alike. If you needed someone to talk to, cry with, laugh with, or sit beside, she always made space for you. She believed in being there for people, no matter what they were going through.
In 2021, my husband and I became my mom's primary caregivers during her final year of life. It was incredibly challenging. We were both working full-time and trying to navigate a confusing (and ever-changing) maze of emotional decisions surrounding medical care, insurance, legal documents, and showing up for her. There was no manual, just urgent problems to address and never-ending to-dos. We did our best to learn on the fly, but our learning came at her expense, and that was heartbreaking.
After she passed, I thought the hard part was over.
I was so wrong.
Our caregiving journey may have ended, but the work didn’t. It took months to handle all the details that followed. Funeral planning. Notifying family and friends. Managing legal documents. Closing accounts. Navigating her estate. Honoring her wishes.
It was overwhelming and exhausting, and our grief was still so very fresh.
Even with everything we thought we had planned for, there were still so many things we didn’t know, didn’t anticipate, and had to get creative to figure out. No one prepares you for the second wave of responsibility that hits after your loved one dies. But it’s very real and is one of the most overlooked parts of the entire journey.
Reflecting on our caregiving experience, we were so busy managing the logistics of dying that we didn’t have much time to simply be with her. That regret has stuck with me.
And that’s why we created Sandy’s Porch.
It’s the resource I wished we had: a single place that brings together everything you need: trusted legal, financial, medical, and emotional tools, experts, and services for every stage of the planning, caring, and grieving journey. Our hope is Sandy's Porch will help families spend less time buried in admin and more time with the people they love.