Alina's Fight Against Cancer

My parents are hard-working, Cuban immigrants that moved to Puerto Rico in the 90s. They built a happy life for our family there. My mother raised me and my sister well, made sure we were educated, all while helping run our family owned small business. Unfortunately, all of that was taken away from my family and I when we had to leave everything behind in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and start over in Miami. It felt like we had finally established some roots here. My mother and father had just got jobs, my sister is finishing her bachelor’s degree at FIU and I had just entered my first year at UF Law.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother had noticed some swelling in her neck so she saw her doctor. The doctor ordered some routine tests to see what the potential problem was. Then, the day before Thanksgiving, the results came back that my mother has thyroid cancer, but the specific type is still uncertain. While she was begrudgingly telling me all of this (she didn’t want to distract me from studying for my exams <eye roll>), she became short of breath so I took her to the ER immediately. The doctors thought it was iodine poisoning from the earlier tests, so they kept her at the hospital until her breathing was normal again. A couple days later, they sent her home. My family and I thought we had a few months until we started with chemo treatment, etc. However, yesterday she was readmitted for breathing trouble again. The doctor was shocked at how quickly the tumor has grown in only a few days. Now, everything has been expedited to require immediate attention with a high probability of the cancer being anaplastic thyroid cancer. My family and I are currently in the hospital waiting on the latest test results to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. It feels like any little bit of security we had rebuilt has been ripped out from underneath us again.

 

There is no doubt that this will be a very strenuous and extensive struggle that, unfortunately, will be accompanied by extensive medical expenses. My mother has insurance, but like all insurance plans, there are significant limitations and technicalities that simply will not cover the unexpected and sudden expenses we are about to incur.


My mother has dedicated her life to her children. She has always been a hardworking woman, willing to help anyone. She is an excellent wife, sister, friend, and mother. In this arduous struggle that we have begun, I make this approach for anyone who is willing to help. Thank you all for your contribution. I ask you to keep my mother in your prayers.  

The funds raised will be used for her medical expenses incurred throughout this process. Any additional funds raised will also help to cover the myriad of expenses including the loss of wages that encompass a diagnosis of this magnitude.