Support Marco's Journey to Recovery

All,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you with a humble request for assistance during a challenging time. My husband, Marco Barrera, was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition known as Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS) in 2015. Although the prognosis was grim, in 2016, he was able to receive a kidney transplant that would grant him more years with us and our family. With this kidney transplant, along came an extensive amount of chemotherapy to further treat his condition (AHUS). Marco has needed to get chemotherapy every two weeks since then, greatly reducing his transplanted kidney functionality.

In March of 2023, we received devastating news that his donated kidney started to fail at a rapid speed. The prognosis given was that if he did not receive another transplant soon, his time with us would be cut short. This resulted in plenty of back-and-forth trips out of town to receive medical treatment and testing with hopes of being put on the donors list. However, due to a selfless gesture from a family friend, we are happy to report Marco has now found a new donor and is scheduled to have his transplant next week. We are greatly appreciative and taken aback by this act of kindness. We are aware that there is still a long road ahead of us in terms to Marco fully recovering.

As you know, we will have to face some unexpected expenses due to lodging, medical bills, treatments, medications, mortgage, monthly utilities and Marco’s extended leave from work as he recovers. We have been collectively brainstorming and coming up with ideas on how to best help Marco while he goes through this difficult time. Financial assistance aside, those of you that have been in these situations know that sometimes a simple gesture such as a phone call or a text message is greatly appreciated and great for morale.

We wanted to extend our appreciation to every family, friend and colleagues of Marco for their kind words, encouragement, prayer and assistance they’ve given over the years. This is strictly on a volunteer basis, our greatest gratitude to you all who show Marco support daily and decide to help him in his time of need.