Alex Quezada's Recovery from Stroke

Alex is an enthusiastic young man, always encouraging and helping others to lead lives of purpose. He married Irma Tinajero just a few weeks ago. Between them, they have five children. On Thursday, Nov. 12, he experienced a sudden headache when he arrived at work and asked his coworkers to call an ambulance. The doctors say he had a stroke and it's a good thing he got to the hospital quickly or the outcome could have been worse. He is unable to talk but is awake and responsive. The hospital near them in Kankakee was overflowing with Covid-19 patients so they flew him to a hospital two hours away in Peoria. He had surgery this morning to relieve pressure on the brain. Now we wait to see how much brain damage he has and how long the road to recovery will be. Your prayers are appreciated for his recovery! 

In the meantime, Alex's family is left without income. He was working at their church as Hispanic Ministry Coordinator and as Justice and Peace Coordinator for the Diocese of Joliet. Due to the pandemic, Irma lost her job a few months ago and is staying home to help the children with their schooling . They have two boys in elementary school, another son in high school and two older daughters. Irma is staying in Peoria to spend as much time as possible with Alex at the hospital. Their daughter is with her and they are staying in a hotel. The other kids are at home and family and church members are caring for them. Irma and Alex need money for living expenses (at home as well as the hotel) and for medical bills as Alex does not have insurance. 

It is really hard to imagine Alex unable to talk because encouraging others with uplifting words is definitely his gift. He works part-time for the church as the Hispanic ministry coordinator. Please pray that he makes a full recovery and gets home soon to his family. As you can imagine, Irma is devastated to see him lying in that hospital bed. It's so sad to see their wedding vows "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health" being put to the test just four weeks after their wedding.