Please join us in embracing the Saldana Vargas family with love and care in their time of grief. Their son Jhuniel, a fourth grader at Noyes Elementary passed away just before Thanksgiving. For several years he had bravely battled an aggressive brain tumor.

The first thing mom always mentions about Jhuniel is that he was always smiling and happy no matter the situation. Even throughout his long, hard fought battle his smile only faded in a few moments of intense pain. He loved music and loved to dance especially to music from home, the Dominican Republic.  He was also a kind and generous friend who, even in his short time at Noyes became very close to so many of his classmates.  Mom shared when he left the Dominican Republic to come here, he was already quite sick, but he selflessly made careful plans to give his toys to neighbor kids who needed them.  Jhuniel was also a talented storyteller, who loved to tell stories about his family and his home.  We were always so impressed how even as a second grader he could tell stories for hours with animation, emotion and vivid details down to the food, cars, houses, descriptions of his uncles, grandfather, neighborhood characters and the like. If you were lucky enough to be his audience, just like a professional novelist, he made you feel like you were inside the story experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of his home. 

We are raising funds to help Jhuniel's family with funeral expenses and loss of income as his devoted parents were often unable to work as they stayed at his side.