Hello everyone,
My name is Shirley Brown, and I am the youngest daughter of Nora Aspuria Serrano. Along with my dad, Jose, and my siblings, Arlene Serrano-Talavera, Patrick Serrano, and Aaron Serrano, are fundraising for expenses to help with our mother’s passing. We are incredibly grateful for anything you can give.
Our/Mom’s Story
We have had a typical American family experience. In the mid 90’s traveling to the Philippines with my brother Aaron as an infant to road-tripping in multiple mini vans across the United States from Fairfield, CA to Rowland Heights, CA to Kenner, LA to Virginia Beach, VA. Constant trips to Reno, NV to the see the snow and spend holidays there. American dream for my mom.
Fast forward to 2008, after frequent trips to the doctor's office, mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. A heartbreaking diagnosis for her and our family. Those first couple of years, she fought amazingly after a month at Stanford and a bone marrow transplant, the cancer was in remission. Although it would come back two or three more times.
In the years that followed, our mom had lived her life how she wanted to among all the treatment appointments. Continually working, traveling, spending time with family, and visiting casino buffets. I wanted to help my mom see the world, from finally seeing Alcatraz for the first time to taking frequent trips to San Diego to visit me. The best was flying my parents out to visit me in where I now live in Rhode Island, for Christmas, to eat the local seafood, see cape cod and then we brought them out to New York City to see the big Christmas tree.
In 2021, our family had our worlds rocked. I got a few texts from my sister asking if mom had message me, I told her no, not for a few days. Our mom was frequent with the texts, especially responding. She was worried (and now so was I) so I told her they need to take mom to the emergency room. Arriving at the hospital, life saving measures at once by emergency staff. My sister called me hysterically. She was admitted to the ICU and potentially was on her last few hours. My sister told them to keep her on a ventilator until my brother from Colorado and myself from Rhode Island, could make it to the hospital to say goodbye. At the time, it was one of the hardest days of our lives. Upon arriving, our mother was on her last breaths as we started to say our goodbyes. 13 BPM on the heart rate monitor and 100% oxygen intake was required to continue to help her to breathe. Although in a different state, almost full comatose, our mother could still hear us with her being able to wiggle her toes and fingers after speaking directly to her. Eventually all siblings left the hospital in disbelief. Unsure if our mother would wake up the following day. The next morning arrives, and we were greeted with the most miraculous news ever, our mom was on a road to recovery. So, we continued to visit her ICU room everyday, until she moved to a regular floor. A miracle, she had survived this setback.
Continuing treatment to fight multiple myeloma, she was also diagnosed with MDS acute Leukemia in August 2023. In February 2024 she was admitted to the hospital with an infection. Looking at her scans, the doctors had determined she may only have a few months left. She had called me to have me come home to California to help her get her affairs in order. With all treatments not working. At the end of February 2024, she started a new experimental treatment which included being admitted at Stanford for a week and then weekly visits driving to Stanford following the first week. Being poked and prodded weekly.
I had finally arrived in California March 16, 2024, to help with anything that would help my dad stay home and take care of mom. While at their house, I could see how frail, weak, and in pain my mom truly was. You could see everything was starting to take an extreme toll on her body. She could hardly bear the weekly travel to Stanford Hospital to see her specialist. By the 3rd week of me being here, another visit to Stanford, by this visit, she said her legs felt numb and could not feel them. Her specialist had informed us that her illnesses were progressing, and she may only have weeks to months left and to spend as much time with her as we could. And to start home hospice. I was inconsolable.
As she started home hospice and stopped all treatments, the thoughts of what to come next were extremely hard on us all as a family. The process of home hospice was amazingly fast and incredibly helpful. A few weeks after starting home hospice and hopefully finally comfortable, our mother passed away in the early hours of April 25th, 2024. After 16 years of fighting and strength she is finally not hurting from the pain of her disease.
Due to our mother’s passing, our father is left with grief and anxiety. Our mom had always taken care of everything, even while battling her cancer. I’m asking for anything to help our dad in this difficult time. The funds will be used for funeral and medical expenses.
We are incredibly thankful for all of you!
Thank you!