Emergency Medical Fund: Help My Mom Rosa Peña

Hello everyone,

My name is Joel Garcia-Peña and I am a 1st generation student currently attending his third year at Willamette University in Salem, OR. I’m attempting to pursue my dream of becoming an occupational therapist, however, I am struggling—physically, mentally, and financially.

This GoFundMe page is dedicated to my mother, Rosa Maria Peña who is currently in and out of hospitals in San Antonio, Texas. Throughout high school, my mom developed irrational amounts of pain leading her to lose her job and emotional turmoil. Our family was never financially well, and this led to her never receiving healthcare. When my junior year started, she was abruptly admitted to the hospital and given emergency surgery for a large tumor in her stomach. At the time, the pretext was that the tumor was cancerous, so they removed extra organs and tissue to try and save her. The doctors were successful in saving her life, however, this left her bed-bound with a failed colostomy, urostomy, nephrostomy, and a large wound site. After further investigation, the health complications did not stop there. She was diagnosed with ocular cancer and refused care for the lack of expertise in the Rio Grande Valley. Thankfully we were able to find help in San Antonio, Texas, and she received an intense chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy only intensified her decline in health and promoted more health complications which have kept her in the ICU unit. Her risk of infection is high, and she commonly experiences harsh blood infections due to the amount of open wounds, and the abnormal urinary and fecal tract doctors created from multiple surgeries. On May, 30th 2024, she received a 12+ hour surgery that was supposed to help solve these cases of infections and health complications, but despite our best efforts she keeps falling ill.

Presently she’s being readmitted to the hospital, and we have never had financial means to support her from the first surgery. It is a miracle that she has made it this far, but now, we need your help. Any donation, no matter the amount, would mean the world to us. Recent changes in our healthcare system have made it even harder for my mom to access the care she desperately needs, and our stress has reached a breaking point.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to our story!