Family & Friends For Iris Marali
Donation protected
May 3, 2018 will forever be one of the most challenging days of Iris’ life – it was the day she was diagnosed with glioblastoma grade 4 – an aggressive and deadly type of brain cancer. Even more heartbreaking was hearing the average survival rate of 5-10 years at the young age of 29. As a loving partner to Juan, and mommy of two beautiful little girls – Maya who is 5 years old and Mila who is 3 years old, she is left with only one option: fight for her life.
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Iris and her family as seven years ago she underwent surgery to remove her first brain tumor, which thankfully was noncancerous. After months of recovery, she was back to her normal life, except for the ongoing headaches and migraines every once in a while. Years later, Iris knew something wasn’t right as the migraines got worse and head pressure persisted. During her doctor visit they confirmed the tumor had returned and needed to be removed as soon as possible. In a million years did she or her loved ones think the tumor would be malignant.
Currently, Iris is receiving a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose – which is over 45 miles/1 hour away from her home in Hollister. The radiation treatment consists of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which is an advanced treatment option that uses beams to precisely treat a tumor. Her chemotherapy treatment consists of pills, which are taken daily and cause some serious side effects that leave her feeling very weak.
As a stay-at-home mom, it has been challenging for Iris to care for the girls after her treatments, so Juan has had to stop working to attend to his family, as well as driving her to and from the hospital. All money that is raised will help pay for gas for transportation, healthy foods to aid Iris in her journey, additional medication, as well as cover costs for necessities like rent and other monthly bills, food for her family and clothes for her girls, among many other things.
Iris’ personality and smile shines brighter than the sun. Her contagious energy, positive outlook despite this diagnosis and the unconditional love she gives her family and friends, is second to none. She is deserving of a chance of life and together we can help make that happen. The power of prayer is grander than we can imagine so we ask that you please include Iris. Additionally, if you would like to make a monetary donation of any amount, we of course welcome that as well since it will help alleviate some of the burden from her and her family and give them the opportunity to a better quality of life during this challenging time.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you in advance for your generosity. <3
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Iris and her family as seven years ago she underwent surgery to remove her first brain tumor, which thankfully was noncancerous. After months of recovery, she was back to her normal life, except for the ongoing headaches and migraines every once in a while. Years later, Iris knew something wasn’t right as the migraines got worse and head pressure persisted. During her doctor visit they confirmed the tumor had returned and needed to be removed as soon as possible. In a million years did she or her loved ones think the tumor would be malignant.
Currently, Iris is receiving a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose – which is over 45 miles/1 hour away from her home in Hollister. The radiation treatment consists of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which is an advanced treatment option that uses beams to precisely treat a tumor. Her chemotherapy treatment consists of pills, which are taken daily and cause some serious side effects that leave her feeling very weak.
As a stay-at-home mom, it has been challenging for Iris to care for the girls after her treatments, so Juan has had to stop working to attend to his family, as well as driving her to and from the hospital. All money that is raised will help pay for gas for transportation, healthy foods to aid Iris in her journey, additional medication, as well as cover costs for necessities like rent and other monthly bills, food for her family and clothes for her girls, among many other things.
Iris’ personality and smile shines brighter than the sun. Her contagious energy, positive outlook despite this diagnosis and the unconditional love she gives her family and friends, is second to none. She is deserving of a chance of life and together we can help make that happen. The power of prayer is grander than we can imagine so we ask that you please include Iris. Additionally, if you would like to make a monetary donation of any amount, we of course welcome that as well since it will help alleviate some of the burden from her and her family and give them the opportunity to a better quality of life during this challenging time.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you in advance for your generosity. <3
Fundraising team (5)
Brenda De Alba
Organizer
Hollister, CA
Iris Estrada
Beneficiary
Angela Vielman-Tracy
Team member
Jay Zendejas
Team member
Lulu Acevedo
Team member
Melissa Rangel
Team member
