This is a joint statement between myself & Rhodesia Ransom ... As many of us are home worrying about going outside or getting sick, the Aranda family is facing an immediate medical emergency and they need our help now, please!! Many of you know Sam and Karen Aranda as loving parents, loyal friends, and committed family members. On March 5, 2020, Sam had emergency brain surgery and this could not have been a more difficult time to be in the hospital under these circumstances. The Aranda's are a blessing to our community. They have been active in the Chamber of Commerce and Little League in Tracy. Everyone knows that they are inseparable and that Sam loves Karen and his children like a true family man. They need our support now. Sam is making progress but it may be 6 months or longer before he can return to work. As a realtor, Karen is self-employed. As a team, we all should step up to help our family and friends, Sam and Karen Aranda. This idea was Rhodesia Ransom's and I offered to set the fundraiser up online. I called Karen and shared this with her. Through tears, Karen thanked me and then asked me if it was really a good time to ask people for money because so many people have their own problems to worry about. I asked her if it was a good time for Sam to need emergency surgery? Through tears again, I hear a her say no in a low voice. I explained to Karen that she is always the giver and when people want to help her it's ok to be the receiver. As hard as it was for me to get Karen to agree, she finally said we have her blessing. This fundrasier will be connected directly to their bank account and Karen will be the only person that has access to the funds. At her request, we can add team members to assist with updates. Otherwise, we will continue to pull them from her Facebook page so all donors will have the opportunity to see every update.  Thank you, Lori Souza & Rhodesia Ransom On March 9, 2020, Karen posted this first message to family and friends.... My husband Samuel Aranda had emergency brain surgery Thursday evening. He was complaining of a bad headache when he came home from work on Tuesday, Wednesday it was a bit worse and he thought it was a MIGRAIN , mind you in our 24 years together he has never had one. Thursday he went to work and was really not feeling well and the headache much much worse. He left the bay area peninsula(over the San Mateo) bridge at about noon. He got home about 2 pm and decided enough was enough and called KAISER to get an appointment at our local Tracy Kaiser Clinic for Friday. Our daughter Bianca usually works a 3-11 shift at Walgreens after college and normally not home in the PM. I was over the hill in Livermore at our twins baseball game. I told Sam not to wait til Friday ( Bianca can take you today) At this point it was THURSDAY at 4:30 pm. She drove him to Tracy Kaiser clinic and went to drop him at curb to park He was unable to move his right side of his body too good. As he walked into Kaiser the check in nurse literally said "CODE BLUE" as he appeared to have had a STROKE. I was at the baseball park in Livermore and received a phone call about 5:15 that my husband was being rushed by ambulance to General Hospital in French Camp asap . I pulled the twins off the field and flew from Livermore to French camp in major traffic on 580 . Our daughters Bianca and Natalia got the ER first and when they arrived they said there was not a Samuel Aranda at this hospital OMG!! I was thinking maybe they brought him to Kaiser Modesto after all???. 2 minutes later a nurse was screaming in ER ( ARANDA ARANDA) is there anyone here for Aranda? Sam was brought in to San Joaquin General Hospital as a John Doe as he was so confused and disoriented he did not know his name. I was then brought back with the surgical team and they told me Sam had a hemotoma on his brain and needs surgery asap. If the ambulance had taken him all the way to Kaiser Modesto he would not have survived.