Cathy's Heart Surgery
Donation protected
A few days ago, my mother, Cathy Chavez, found out she needed heart surgery to fix a coronary blockage. We were hoping it could be fixed with a minimally invasive stint and catheterization, but it turns out she is being flown to Albuquerque as I write this for emergency open-chest heart surgery.
I can never thank my mother enough for how much she has done for me and my family. She's lost many an hour of sleep to make some extra money at a second job so she has extra money for Christmas, or family birthdays, or to help pay rent and tuition for her kids off at college (myself included.) Even with three kids, my parents were always able to put meals on the table, presents under the tree, and new clothes on our backs, and we never wanted for anything.
And I don't have the means to thank them with more than words.
My parents are both teachers, so while we've never been incredibly impoverished, we do not have nearly enough saved up for a surgery this costly. According to http://health.costhelper.com/heart-surgery.html, the average bypass surgery costs $117,000. Even with decent insurance, this could end being impossibly expensive for my family.
She's the one of the hardest workers I've ever known, and despite opening the local pool as a lifeguard at 5:30 am (and working for a few hours before school starts at 8 am,) she would still be at school late at night, making lesson plans and grading papers for her students, trying to prepare for the next day.
She's incredibly kind, and has always gone out of her way to help others. She's by far the most selfless person I've ever met, to the extent that sometimes the rest of us question why on earth she would work so hard to please others. But that's just who she is: the type of person who helps others for no reason other than to make life easier for someone else.
Sometimes I stop and think about how I got to where I am, how I became the person I see in the mirror, and I know much of that is thanks to her. She made me understand right from wrong and gave me thirst for knowledge. She has given me an important sense of purpose, and an ambition to better myself and others around me. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for her lessons of honesty and patience.
This summer I'll be in the process of applying to medical schools, because I've wanted to be a doctor for a very long time.
But more than anything I've ever wanted in life, I've always wanted to be a good father someday. I hope I can pass on her lessons of morality and hard work and selflessness. I know that if I can raise my children half as well as she raised her three kids, they'll be incredible people.
I can never thank my mother enough for how much she has done for me and my family. She's lost many an hour of sleep to make some extra money at a second job so she has extra money for Christmas, or family birthdays, or to help pay rent and tuition for her kids off at college (myself included.) Even with three kids, my parents were always able to put meals on the table, presents under the tree, and new clothes on our backs, and we never wanted for anything.
And I don't have the means to thank them with more than words.
My parents are both teachers, so while we've never been incredibly impoverished, we do not have nearly enough saved up for a surgery this costly. According to http://health.costhelper.com/heart-surgery.html, the average bypass surgery costs $117,000. Even with decent insurance, this could end being impossibly expensive for my family.
She's the one of the hardest workers I've ever known, and despite opening the local pool as a lifeguard at 5:30 am (and working for a few hours before school starts at 8 am,) she would still be at school late at night, making lesson plans and grading papers for her students, trying to prepare for the next day.
She's incredibly kind, and has always gone out of her way to help others. She's by far the most selfless person I've ever met, to the extent that sometimes the rest of us question why on earth she would work so hard to please others. But that's just who she is: the type of person who helps others for no reason other than to make life easier for someone else.
Sometimes I stop and think about how I got to where I am, how I became the person I see in the mirror, and I know much of that is thanks to her. She made me understand right from wrong and gave me thirst for knowledge. She has given me an important sense of purpose, and an ambition to better myself and others around me. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for her lessons of honesty and patience.
This summer I'll be in the process of applying to medical schools, because I've wanted to be a doctor for a very long time.
But more than anything I've ever wanted in life, I've always wanted to be a good father someday. I hope I can pass on her lessons of morality and hard work and selflessness. I know that if I can raise my children half as well as she raised her three kids, they'll be incredible people.
Organizer and beneficiary
Will Chavez
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
Cathleen Chavez
Beneficiary