Deniber Flores, 31, Leukemia, Mother of 3 girls

Hi, my name is Bennett Grocock. I live in Orlando, Florida. I am a retired lawyer.

My appeal is for immediate financial assistance for my good friend, Deniber Flores, a Venezuelan refugee, age 31, living in Bogota, Colombia. She has leukemia, type 1 diabetes, single mother of 3 daughters.

Please read her compelling story below:

She has 3 daughters, ages 8 (Andrisimar), 12 (Nahomy), and 14 (Nikol).

They walked from their town in Venezuela the many arduous miles to Bogota in the hopes that they would find relief from the poverty, crime, danger, and despair in Venezuela.

I met Deni about 5 years ago through a church friend on one of my trips to Bogota. She and her children were homeless. She and her girls were cold and wet and on the street. I was so moved by her story and predicament that I provided some immediate assistance so they could get basic shelter, food, and clothing.

Since then, I have stayed in regular contact with Deni and have joyfully been providing general monthly assistance to this wonderful family for housing, food, clothing, and necessities, as well as for many of the medical emergencies Deni has suffered. She worked for a while selling food from a cart on the street but then became extremely ill and could no longer work to help support her family's basic needs, let alone pay her large medical bills.

Over the years, we have become good friends, and I have sent gifts to the girls for their birthdays and Christmas. They occasionally send me pictures and cute videos as well as copies of their report cards or lessons in English. I care deeply about this special family and have tried to do all I can for them.

Over the past 18 months, Deni:

1. has been diagnosed with the most serious form of Type 1 Diabetes. Insulin is very expensive. She must inject herself 3-4 times a day. She has had a very difficult time regulating her blood sugar and suffers from all types of diabetic-related illnesses. She frequently has to go to the Emergency Room for dangerously elevated blood sugar levels.

2. has suffered from severe headaches. They discovered a Brain Tumor, and after surgery to remove it, she has been undergoing chemotherapy for the past 12 months....she lost her hair and is suffering from all the other nasty side effects of chemo.

3. was diagnosed just 6 months ago with Leukemia. She now is forced to undergo a second, parallel regimen of chemo, which is brutal on her body, causing extensive bruising, swelling, malaise, etc. She is bedridden most of the time. Without regular chemo, her condition is fatal.

Any one of these illnesses would be bad enough for a single mother...but all 3 at the same time?

Life seems unfair at times.

Deni is extremely ill, and I am seeking assistance from caring people to help her and her lovely young daughters at this critical time of need. I can no longer provide all the financial support she needs, so I need you to help her...PLEASE

I have coordinated with a law firm in Bogota to help distribute the funds as needed if Deni becomes hospitalized to ensure her children are cared for. A neighboring family has taken the girls under their wing and is there for emotional support and to assist with child care when Deni is in the hospital for treatments or emergencies.

Deni is an amazing woman. Strong, a fighter, very humble, a believer in God. She has had a very difficult life, starting with her years in Venezuela, and continuing with her grave health issues.

She fights every day for her kids and their future. They are what keep her enduring the pain and sickness. And imagine the courage it took for her and the girls to walk over 1,000 miles to seek refuge in Colombia, with the hope that she could build a life for herself and her children. Now they have legal residency, but her health is jeopardizing their future as a family.

Deni has been overwhelmingly grateful for the aid I have been able to provide her, and she always feels ashamed and guilty that she can't work to earn these funds herself. She sends me daily greetings and words of thanks.

There is no one more deserving of our help!

I am limited in how much aid I can send, and given her worsening medical condition, her expenses have increased to a point where we need others to help out.

Her monthly medical expenses are now over $4,000 (insulin, 2 types of chemo, all types of other drugs, hospital stays for infusions, and nursing care).

Her family needs are at least $1,000 per month to pay for rent on a small apartment ($400), utilities ($100+), and food ($400+), plus household supplies and clothes and shoes for the children as needed. There are no extras in this amount, and it would be really nice if we could add a bit more for birthday gifts, Christmas, school supplies, nicer clothes, etc.

Remember that even just a $50 or $100 gift can buy food for a week or fund part of the $300 monthly insulin expense. A dollar goes a long way in Colombia since the exchange rate for the Dollar is strong and food there, in general, is a lot more affordable than in the U.S. For those of you with the financial means, we would encourage you to consider $1,000 or more.

Thus, I am seeking an initial goal of at least $25,000 to help this family make it until 2024. The funds will be held in my lawyer's trust account and sent to Deni as needed via bank wire transfer. Any additional amounts will allow us to take care of them going into 2024. I would love to see us provide this family full resources all of next year!

Please find a place in your heart for my dear friend, Deniber Flores, and her lovely young daughters, Andri, Nahomy, and Nikol.

Any contribution will be greatly appreciated and used for the best purpose in life....to save a life!

Your generosity will be blessed many times over.

Thank you..and God Bless.

Bennett