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Veronica's emergency surgery

For the Matriarch Who Moves with Grace (and Cooks Like a Legend) Posted by her rhythm-obsessed, barefoot-in-the-studio, drum-looping son-in-law.

Hey everyone, Just wanted to send a little update and some love for someone who means everything to our family — my mother-in-law, Veronica. She’s a woman of quiet power, unmatched generosity, and possibly the best Caribbean chicken on Earth. Seriously, if flavor were a language, she’d be a published poet.

She was born on the lush South Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, raised within Bribri tradition and a beautifully mixed cultural heritage. Her father, who never met his own dad — a Jamaican man who came to help build the Panama Canal — was orphaned after losing his mother and three brothers to dysentery. Somehow, through all that loss, he found light: her mother, Natividad, the kindest woman you could imagine.

While raising six children, Natividad worked the land alongside her husband — not just to survive, but to build something lasting. They grew cocoa and eventually earned a small plot of land filled with fruit trees that would go on to feed half the community. That land was cultivated with grit, care, and a deep sense of purpose. That spirit of giving and sharing lives on in their daughter.

Veronica started working before 18 with the United Fruit Company, then became the only typist at city hall. She studied at the University of Costa Rica while working full-time (yep, superhero stuff), and not only became a teacher but went on to earn her master’s degree in education administration. Eight years later, she was elected a councilwoman — always advocating for the Bribri people and anyone who needed a voice.

She shared that life — and that heart — with her husband of 30 years, Ron, a retired Los Angeles fireman with an open smile and a gift for turning strangers into friends. In 2020, Ron was tragically killed in an accident just outside their home, after returning from one of his regular beach cleanups. His absence is deeply felt, but the warmth he brought to every room still lingers in the stories people tell and the lives he touched.

And still, Veronica moves with grace. Every time we walk through a town in the Limon province — doesn’t matter if it’s a beach village or up in the hills — someone comes over to greet her, remembering her as a former student, a friend, or simply “the daughter of those good people who shared their trees.”

She’s the kind of person who hikes out of the jungle with gifts for her granddaughters, Glory and Belina — even if the road’s muddy and the rain’s sideways. Because that’s her way: full of grace, and always thinking of others first.

Recently, Veronica was diagnosed with a dissected abdominal aortic aneurysm — a serious condition. While Costa Rica’s universal healthcare system is one of the best in Latin America, the public hospitals are overcrowded and the waitlists long. We need to use a private hospital to give her the best chance for a positive experience. Naiby and I are doing everything we can — meeting with doctors, managing logistics, and holding space for the best possible outcome.

If you’ve got a moment to send good energy, funny memories, a playlist, a prayer, or even a goofy voice note — we’d be grateful. She’s given so much love to so many. We’re just trying to send a little back her way.

With love, Danny and Naiby