Anything to help my mom Norma’s stage IV cancer

Hello and thank you for taking time out of your day to read my moms story.  My name is J.C.  also known as Charles to my mom.  I’m the eldest son of Norma Olivas, whom this Gofundme was created for.


It pains me with every cell that I’m made of to put this together as it will open some old wounds.  But, it will allow me to share some important things about my moms character and what she has meant to our family and evidently why I felt I needed you to know my mom. 

If any of you have ever met my mom, you will vouch for her great heart, her concern and care of everyone’s wellbeing, beginning with our family to doing the same for perfect strangers.  

For those of you that don’t know her, she has cared for and helped many people in need even when she didn’t have much herself.  That’s just part of my moms DNA, always the humanitarian nature of her, instilled in her by my grandparents. 

The childhood my mom gave my brother Adrian and I, was one always full of love and hope.  Even when my mom faced her own challenges as a single mom, worked long hours for the little money she would make, she always came through.  Although we lived a humble and frugal life, she always made birthdays and holidays special for us.  Overall, she always made it a point to make our childhood memorable and fulfilled, in the best way she could.  She taught us to be humanitarians, share what we have and help those in need whenever we could.  

My mom never asked anyone for help when things got tough. She taught us to be independent, work hard and always encouraged us to chase our dreams.  She has been our rock, our most dedicated cheerleader and a mom many wish they had.  My mom never gave up on us, even when my brother Adrian and I were at our worst.  My moms work ethic gradually paid off, finding herself working better paying jobs.  Her efforts raising us also paid off, with my brother and I following suite when we hit our adult years, thanks to her unwavering support and words of wisdom. 

One day, I found myself in need of my moms help, this time as a father to my now eldest, Alexia, whom was 5 at the time.  I was granted custody of her and grandma helped me out in caring for her, all the while dealing with a heartbreaking difficult situation and what seemed to be an eternity in court.  Although life threw its wrench into our lives, my mom was there every step of the way and was at our side as we got through it yet again. 

Just when we thought everything was okay, life came back full circle when my grandparents seemed unable to take care of themselves in their old age.  Without hesitation, my mom sold her old home and bought a nice spacious home, moving them in to give them the best anyone could ever give them, genuine love and care.  

Between my grandparents dementia and other health problems stemming from older age, my mom never gave up on them.  Again, putting others before herself and doing what a humanitarian knows how to do best.  She loved caring for my grandparents and it showed. 

Sadly, my grandfather (my moms dad) passed away Friday, September 27, 2013 from heart failure.  My grandmother was left with only my mom at her side.  Although my grandmother struggled with losing my grandfather and her health issues, my mom kept her spirit up, with her loving and nurturing heart.  

She stood at my grandmothers side every waking moment until my grandma passed away on Friday, March 20, 2020 from a bilateral pneumonia and heart failure. Not only was it a huge loss for our family, but my mom felt it the worst.


The difficulty of accepting she was now alone in her home set in.  My brother Adrian and I had made every effort to be there for her.  Our concern shifted to not only help lift our moms spirit, but to keep her from falling into a lonesome depression.  

Although Covid19 was beginning to wreaking havoc, we found safe ways and time to lift my moms spirit.  Things became real and finding ways to safely see her became more of a challenging risk.  The picture below shows one of the last times grandma Norma was able to hug our little girl, Zaneth, before things with Covid got worst. 

We started to resort to Facebook messenger to see each other.  We felt the absence of physical interaction taking its toll over the coming months.  We missed being around my mom as I know she missed being around us. 

Around mid August, I called my mom to swing by her home and drop off a warm meal and to see her.  She gleefully accepted and came outside to see us off after our brief, socially distanced visit.  She called me a while later, stating she had a hard time eating due to pain in her stomach. 

A week later, we called my mom over to our house for a little birthday surprise we had for her.  It may have not been extravagant, though it was time well enjoyed.  *Here she is with my daughters, (half of her grandchildren.)*

Over the coming weeks, I would notice my mom, almost daily, articulating how happy she was to have such great children and grandchildren.

At the same time, I would get an occasional clue of something affecting my moms ability to eat when she would address  she had experienced some unusual abdominal pain and couldn’t finish a meal as she normally would.

I had spoken to my mom about what I had noticed, while she walked up to my car during a particular visit.  I noticed she grabbed her abdomen in a bit of pain.  This started to concern me as we were now entering the month of November, the peak of the COVID19 pandemic.   

I tried to get my mom to see the doctor and she was put off by the idea as COVID was now running rampant and hospitals were at capacity.  The danger of catching the virus in the hospital was prevalent.  To make matters worst, my aunt Martha, my moms only sister was just hospitalized in critical condition due to the virus.

Now my moms reasoning about catching COVID in the hospital didn’t seem far fetched.  She put off seeing the doctor until recently.  

She saw her doctor who then immediately ordered a few blood draws and an ultasound of her abdomen.  The doctor worried  about my moms condition also cause him to order two CT scans with contrast.  What ever it was, caused him to call my mom and ask her to be seen immediately because she would need to have her gallbladder removed, STAT. 



On Tuesday January 26, 2021, my mom underwent what was supposed to be a gall bladder removal surgery at Las Palmas Medical Center, the hospital I work at.  The surgeon asked to speak to me after a 3 hour long surgery that should have only lasted about an hour or so.  

He sat me down and gave me the worst news I have ever heard. “Your mom has metastatic carcinoma of her liver, stage IV cancer and there is little to nothing that can be done on my end.  She’ll have to see the oncologist for their advice and potential treatment options”.  

The initial prognosis was attributed to the fist sized tumor that once was her gall bladder.  My mom had multiple tumors, per the surgeons findings, of which he only removed a piece of tissue for a biopsy.  The initial sample that was stained and put through the cryostat revealed it and the pathologist report confirmed it.  

The surgery was unsuccessful and the malignant tumors, along with cancerous tissue remain in her abdomen.  Time is working against my mom now. 

This situation has put a strain on her finances as she retired a few years back and a fixed income doesn’t allow much to happen in terms of healthcare.  My moms expenses are skyrocketing and she runs the risk of losing her home.  I recently started a new job at the hospital my mom had her surgery at and my finances have my hands bound more so since I’ve already taken time off to be at my moms side.  My little brother is in a situation where local business has slowed in his line of work, (solar) and he is experiencing his own hardships, but we are trying our best to get my mom what she needs.  Realistically, we are having a hard time meeting those needs, though we are hopeful. 

My mom said to me before surgery, “The few dreams and wishes I have now are the most important to me”, not only are they important to her but to our family now.  Those dreams include being around to dance with our little one at her quinceañera, watch my eldest graduate from college and get married, create memories with all her grandchildren altogether.

We are asking if anyone could help my mom afford those cancer treatments to prolong her life so that she can see a few of her dreams come true.  We are also hoping one of you reading this may know of an oncologist that could potentially gift her a few treatments here in El Paso, Texas if possible.  

My mom means the world to us.  Please help us give her a running chance at being around to fulfill her dreams.  

On behalf of my mom, my brother Adrian, our children and myself, blessings, good health to you all and thank you.