Assist the Flores-Guerra Family in Their Time of Grief

Dear Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. After multiple hospitalizations since January, my father, Jose Flores, was given the terminal diagnosis of end-stage heart failure in April 2025. In less than a month, my dad passed away on April 25, 2025. He was surrounded by family who loved him through his last breath. It was an unimaginable tragedy to lose my father so suddenly, and my family and I are completely devastated by the loss of my dad, who was not only my dad, but my biggest supporter, my motivation, and my friend. He was a loving husband to my mother, Linda, a caring brother to my many aunts and uncles, and a devoted father to me, my sister, Andrea, and a great friend to my brother Jason. We cannot imagine a life without him, and it is unbelievable that he is gone.

If you have followed along with my Substack, you know just how difficult this journey has been. My father’s decline happened quickly and unexpectedly. There was little time for us to wrap our heads around the reality of my father’s illness. I am in graduate school, but I paused from the last semester of my first year in my MFA program to be with my family and assist in caregiving for my dad. My mom, sister, and I did everything we could for my dad until he passed away. We loved him, held him, washed him, and could not be more thankful for the time we had with him.

My dad, Jose, or Livo, amongst family and friends, was the best. He was always encouraging of my dreams and aspirations. He was the kindest man I knew, unselfish at his core, and generous with all he had. He was funny, he was handsome, and he was the most caring man. Quiet in demeanor, my dad knew how to command the room with his stories, jokes, and tales of his courageous journeys from El Salvador to the United States. I could not be more proud to be his daughter, and I will miss him every single day for the rest of my life.

It is not an easy thing to ask for money. But if there was ever a time to do it, now would be it. My dad was the breadwinner of our family, and he provided us with financial support throughout my entire life. My dad worked his entire career. He was the most hardworking person I had ever witnessed, dedicating his life to his job. While my father did everything he could to make sure our family was taken care of, nothing could have prepared us for his loss. Unfortunately, dying is expensive, and we are humbly asking for any donations that would assist our family with the funeral and burial expenses. These donations would also help us pay our medical bills, which are plenty. Right now, it is just my mom and my sister working. My stipend, unfortunately, only goes so far and will end in the summer. We are a working-class family, and your donations would allow my family, my sister, and my mother, especially, the peace of mind and support so that they may take time off from work to mourn our darling dad. If you cannot donate during this time, I understand. I simply ask that you share our GoFundMe. Anything helps during this difficult time. Your help will ease the financial hardship that this has put on our family and allow us the space and grace to grieve my father as we must.

Thank you to everyone for your kindness during this time. For those who have kept up with my journey as a caregiver, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for following me through the process of saying goodbye to my dad. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I loved my dad wholly and truly, and I will love him until the end of time.

With deep gratitude,

Mariela