Her House Was Paid Off. She Lost It Anyway.

By Cotton Phillips

Names and images have been changed to respect the privacy of the family.

Miss Louise was born and raised in Lubbock, in the old Victorian her mother once ran as a bed and breakfast. She and her late husband spent their entire lives paying that house off, brick by brick, Sunday by Sunday. And every Sunday morning, like clockwork, that kitchen filled with the smell of eggs, bacon, sausage, and gravy—her favorite way to tell her family she loved them.

The house wasn’t just where she lived. It was who she was.

Her son, Malik, never managed to buy a home of his own. He always believed—because his mother told him so—that the Victorian would be his someday. Louise believed that too. She thought she was protected. Medicaid couldn’t take her home while she was alive, so in her mind, that was enough.

Then Alzheimer’s came.

Over eight years in assisted living, Louise’s world shrank down to a memory loop—her kitchen, the bay window, her hands kneading biscuit dough. She had no idea what was happening outside her room. She didn’t know Medicaid was quietly tallying every dollar spent on her care. And she certainly didn’t know what would come next.

After Louise passed, Medicaid stepped in to recover those costs. To do that, they sold the house she had worked her entire life to preserve.

Malik didn’t just lose an inheritance.He lost history—his mother’s history, his grandmother’s history, and the foundation of everything his family had built.

This is exactly where Cotton Phillips Estate Services could have helped.

With a Lady Bird Deed, Louise could have kept full control of her home during her life, avoided probate, and ensured the property passed automatically to Malik—safe from Medicaid estate recovery. Her legacy—her kitchen, her Sundays, her story—could have stayed right where she intended: in the family.

Disclaimer – Not Legal or Financial Advice

Cotton Phillips Estate Services is not a law firm, and I am not an attorney. The services I provide — including assistance with filings, paperwork preparation, negotiations, guidance through administrative processes, and general organization of your estate or benefit-related matters — are only meant to help you understand your options and navigate available procedures.