Carmen Padilla

Dear Family:

Please do NOT share this on social media. This is only to be shared amongst our family.  Lupe and Carmen nor their kids are aware of this donation request. We would like to present them a check as a surprise, so please do NOT share or tell them.

As many of you know, Carmen was recently diagnosed with lupus and she is in kidney failure. She needs a kidney transplant but it's our understanding that she is not a candidate for one due to other medical complications. She has been undergoing dialysis for several months, which is a 4 hour, painful procedure 3 times per week. She has been in and out of the hospital since October and has already had 12 surgeries!

She is on an an extremely strict diet due to her dialysis. It is such a strict diet that most places won't even accept a patient with her diet for fear of not being able to meet her dietary needs without significant health risks. As of last week, she was unable to walk without help and was unable to use her left arm due to all the surgeries. 

Carmen's diagnosis came just a few months ago and her and her family's life changed in an instant. As you all know, insurance does not pay for everything and copays quickly can add up. There were recently several articles stating that "the majority of Americans are ONE medical emergency away from bankruptcy." This could happen to any one of us and if it did, it would be wonderful to know that we could count on each other. We are blessed to have such a big family. What we could accomplish as a family to support Lupe and Carmen is much greater than any one of us could do individually. Since we are not nearby, this is one way in which we can help to support them during this difficult time in their lives.

Please submit your donation by March 10th, so that we can present this to them as soon as possible. Thank you for your donation. We are sure it will mean the world to them.