Arminda: A Long Journey with Courage

A Life of Quiet Strength and Unshakable Love

This is the story of Carmen Arminda García Bracamonte;my mom, my heart, and the woman who raised me with fierce love and constant grace. Though not my biological mother, she chose me, just as she chose to devote her life to lifting others. Arminda couldn’t have children of her own, but along with her husband, my dad Valentin de Pablo Niño (who passed away in 2014), she poured all her love, time, and energy into raising me and supporting my biological mom. I owe everything I am—my values, my strength, my education, and my hope—to the foundation they gave me. There’s no easy way to condense a life of generosity and love into a few words, but what I can say is this: she gave without asking, she loved without limits, and now I want to honor her story with that same spirit.

Arminda’s strength has been tested many times. Her journey with meningioma tumors—typically benign tumors that grow in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord—began in 1997 in San Cristóbal, Venezuela, where she underwent her first two surgeries. While she recovered, the surgeries left lasting consequences. In 1999, due to the physical and neurological effects, she had to leave her beloved career as an elementary school teacher after 28 years of service. In 2014, she bravely faced a third brain surgery in the middle of Venezuela’s crisis, under the skilled care of Dr. Josefina Gandica. And in 2021, another health battle arose: a basal cell carcinoma inside her right ear, which led to the complete loss of hearing on that side. Today, her left ear functions at only 30%. Even with these challenges, she has never lost her sense of humor, her calming presence, or her courage to keep going.Despite everything, she has never complained lost her sense of humor or her courage to keep going. She has faced every step of this journey with deep faith, and understand that she inspires everyone around her.

Today, we are facing a new tumor, one that is affecting her mobility and her ability to control basic body functions. On top of that, Venezuela’s situation means her monthly retirement income is very low .Since my father passed, I have been her only financial support. My two moms now live together in Colombia, and I came here with one purpose: to help and care for both of them, especially when their lifetime of work amounts to so little. It’s never easy to be far away when your loved ones need you emotionally, but we stay together, even from a distance. If you feel moved by Arminda’s story, your support—through donations, shares, or kind thoughts—The funds raised will go directly toward hiring a nurse to care for her, covering the medical expenses related to her upcoming surgery, and providing essential items like medication and adult diapers that she currently needs.