Hello all, my name is Alejandra and I am fundraising on behalf of my older brother, Carlos, who is currently facing an uphill battle right now in the Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford hospital in Tennessee.

I am reaching out to you during a time of difficulty and the unknown, and I appreciate you taking the time to read our story.

What occurred:

On Friday October 20th, Carlos' roommate called our family with news that my brother was in the emergency room, and we only got to talk to him for a moment to tell him we love him and that we will get through this as a family. He lives in Tennessee, and our family lives in Illinois, so you can imagine the grief and fear on how we could not visit him right away.

While we still do not know the causes, what we do know is that his kidneys had shrunken, his blood pressure is high, and for over a week he had not gotten any sleep and became delirious. As evident in the photos provided, he has gone pale and lost a significant amount of weight, which added on the pain that he no longer resembles the brother I knew before he moved to Tennessee. On October 25, after an attempt of discharging himself from the hospital and ending up back in the ER due to an accident, our family made the decision for our mother to go down to be with him at the hospital. With her presence and voice of reasoning, she was able to calm his nerves and help get him proper attention with the medical staff who were not as attentive as we had hoped.

Unfortunately, some of the medical staff have not been taking great care of my brother until my mother arrived, and even then they still do not know the full diagnosis as of today, November 7th.

Who is Carlos:

Carlos is the first-born son in our family, the oldest of five. He is a kind-hearted, funny, and a headstrong man. While not a man of many words, his coworkers and friends can attest that he has a big heart and puts his all into his work. As a brother, he showcases love, patience, and guidance, even if we are all on different paths in life. He always knows what to say, he is easy to talk to, and gives the best hugs in the world.

What is Next:

To our knowledge, the next steps after Carlos is properly discharged from the hospital, he will remain in Tennessee for a week under the care of our mother for him to stabilize outside of the hospital. Then, they will make the trip back to Illinois, where he will be needing 3-months of dialysis treatment. He will also require physical therapy to relearn how to walk, due to him losing feeling to his legs for being bedrest for so long.

How You Can Help:

Our family and friends have encouraged me to set up this GoFundMe campaign to surround Carlos with love and support and to help alleviate the financial stress from this traumatic event. Your generous donations will directly contribute to his medical expenses, travel expenses, and the necessary adjustments and equipment to his living environment while he recovers with his family here.

Words of Encouragement:

We understand that while monetary assistance is crucial, emotional support and words of affirmation are just as important. We have never encountered a situation like this before, this is all new to us, and adjustments to life back home have not been easy. But all of the support we have gotten from family, friends, and compassionate souls have helped us stay strong for Carlos.

We ask of you to share heartfelt messages, prayers, words of encouragement, and stories that will shine a light for Carlos so he knows he is not alone and he matters in this world.

Community is the key to times of adversity, it helps us feel like we are not alone. Let us unite to uplift Carlos and show him that his spirit is cherished. Carlos does everything to help everyone else first, now it is time to help him. Every donation, every message, every share of this campaign will contribute not only to his recovery and support, but to remind Carlos that he is loved and cared for.

From the bottom of our hearts, our family thank you for your support, generosity, and love for Carlos. We appreciate you standing him to help give Carlos strength.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Carlos' Family