A loving farewell for Crystal & Ivan’s mom, Marina

Hello, my name is Crystal and with a heavy, broken heart, I am creating this page for my mom’s cremation ceremony expenses.

My mom was the best mom. I know that’s a very common thing to say about all moms, but my mom was just… a freakin' warrior, a true definition of a super mom. She was such a hardworking woman; she faced trials and tribulations that not many would’ve survived.

A single immigrant mom raising two kids by herself with the resources she had was truly admirable. I wish I would’ve told her how much I learned from watching her be so damn resilient and brave.

Her laugh was infectious, her personality was fun and warm. She is truly the reason why I’ve grown to become a badass mom to my own daughter. I learned from the absolute best… I miss her so much already.

My mother was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 2021 while she was residing in Mexicali, Mexico. Huntington’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects your body’s motor skills. As time goes on, your brain loses function and the ability to know how to work on its own. You eventually lose the ability to eat for yourself, bathe, swallow, talk, etc.

For the entirety of her illness, I wasn’t able to bring my mom back to the States because she was barred for 10 years for coming to the US illegally before my brother and I were born. (And for anyone that has something negative to say about that, please dont. She did what she needed to do to give herself a better life, and us. I admire her for that.) So for almost a year and a half, I had been traveling every other month to go see my mom, care for her, and show up for her.

Once I had my daughter in Sept 2022, I took my baby to go meet her abuelita in Dec 2022 for the first time! At this point, my mom couldn’t even hold my baby by herself; her illness had progressed kind of fast. However, my mom was so excited to meet her baby.

I wish we would’ve known that that was going to be the last time I’d see my mom in person, and the last time my daughter would see her grandma.

As the years went on, I was only able to help my mom financially and be there for her through FaceTime calls and phone calls, as I had certain roadblocks that were keeping me from being able to go see her again.

Unfortunately, my mom passed on Feb 18, 2025, due to her disease, and 4 months after her 10-year bar had been lifted. She was SO so excited that her bar had been lifted and continuously asked me when she would be able to come back to the States with my brother and me, and now her new grandbaby.

Mami, this is not the way I envisioned bringing you back home, but… you’re finally coming home, mami. You’re finally going to be with your kids and granddaughter after 10 years. I love you so, so much, mama, and I am so sorry.

If you stayed and read the whole thing, thank you so, so much. My mom wanted to come back to the States to be with her kids and family. I want to dedicate a ceremony that will honor her the way she deserves and send her off the way she deserves. A person like her deserves her moment and deserves to be surrounded by the people she loved and cared about the most. My brother and I appreciate any kind of contribution, if any. A simple share is enough. Thank you so, so much in advance, and please tell your loved ones how much they’ve impacted your life before it’s too late. Appreciate your parents, and let them know their impact. I promise you it goes far.