Aid Mariela in Her Time of Need

Hello friends.

I am creating this GoFundMe for my friend Mariela, who finds herself in a very challenging situation.

Urgent need: Marielas 15 year old daughter annual school fees are due, which is a total of $350. Additionally cost of living for Mariela and her daughter is around $300 per month.

Approximately 8 months ago, Mariela was diagnosed with a large uterine growth that is over 12 cm. It has impacted her life and her ability to provide for herself and her daughter. She has been seeking medical attention; however, with the socioeconomic challenges and a strained system in Ecuador, she has run into many blockades and continues daily to seek medical assistance for her medical condition. She has consulted and the hope is that she can have an operation and biopsy to rule out cancerous causes. Currently, it is challenging for her to work due to pain and fatigue of ongoing blood loss and anemia, and she is in need of financial assistance to meet the daily needs of herself and her daughter. If you are open to helping Mariela and her daughter Gabriela, please donate and I will send 100% of the money to help her through this very trying time. Below is her testimony (Spanish and English). Thank you all.

Hello, I am Mariela Chávez. I live in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I am 39 years old and am a single parent to a 15-year-old daughter. I make artisanal products such as granola, kefir, and Gomasio with natural ingredients. I am also a ceramist and weaver; I teach ceramics and weaving workshops to children and adults in Ecuador. I seek to preserve, conserve, and transmit pre-Columbian ceramic techniques. My dream is to have my own workshop, with my own ceramic kiln, since I currently rent different spaces in the city or the country to teach workshops.

Due to health issues, I have had to step back from growing my business and am now focused on covering the basic needs for my daughter and myself. For several years, I have had discomfort in my abdomen and had to stop teaching workshops as the pain is often severe. Originally, I treated everything with non-traditional medicine, but as there was no improvement, I went to the traditional doctor and they diagnosed me with a large growth in my uterus that needs to be surgically removed. I do not have insurance and the public health in my country is very precarious.

Currently, I continue giving workshops since my goal is to be insured and able to have surgery so I can continue with my work and continue educating my daughter.

Hola, soy Mariela Chávez. Vivo en Guayaquil, Ecuador. Tengo 39 años y una hija. Elaboro productos artesanales como granola, kéfir, y gomasio, todo con ingredientes naturales. Además, soy ceramista y tejedora. Dicto talleres a niños y adultos de cerámica y tejidos en mi ciudad y en diferentes puntos del país. Busco preservar, conservar, y transmitir las técnicas de cerámica precolombina. Mi sueño es tener mi propio taller, con mi propio horno cerámico, ya que actualmente alquilo diferentes espacios en la ciudad o el país para dictar talleres.

Pero debido a temas de salud, vengo pausando mi sueño para cubrir necesidades básicas para mi hija y para mí. Hace varios años, vengo teniendo malestares que en un principio me llevaron a creer que eran problemas intestinales. Eso ocasionó que parara de dar talleres ya que muchas veces los dolores me llevaban a estar en cama. Todo lo fui tratando con medicina no tradicional, pero al no ver mejoría, fui al doctor tradicional y me diagnosticaron mioma en el útero, el cual debido a su tamaño tiene que ser operado. No tengo seguro y la salud pública en mi país es muy precaria.

Actualmente, continúo dando talleres ya que mi objetivo es asegurarme y poder operarme para poder continuar con mi trabajo y seguir educando a mi hija.