My name is Heidi Ortiz Candelaria, and today — I am asking for help. My mother, Carmen Candelaria, had an accident a week ago, on August 19th. After standing on a step ladder doing some household chores, the ladder gave away beneath her. This fall caused a fractured back bone and an extremely deep gash on her head. She was unconscious for over two hours before she was able to call for help. She was taken to the hospital, and though the external injury was sutured, the internal injuries are still prevalent. She has had internal hemorrhaging in her brain, and is currently wearing a back brace to speed her healing process. But because of these injuries, she needs a lot of help to move around.

My mother is currently in Puerto Rico, as she usually goes back every few months to go to her doctors appointments and visit family. As many of you know, I am currently living in Washington. My brother recently left to Korea for his own studies and career. And our family can’t take care of her. Both of us are on opposite ends of the world and can neither afford or take the risk of leaving our current positions. For the money we are making is helping us pay for our own bills: rent, pet care, medications, etc. Though my heart aches for my mom, I know that she does not want me to risk losing my job and leaving my entire life behind to care for her for a few weeks. She has expressly told me so. So, I have tirelessly been looking for nurses who would be willing to care for my mother. And though we have found some who are willing to, we do not have enough funds to cover even the half of what’s owed on a weekly basis. That is why I am seeking financial support from anyone who might be able to contribute. I want to make sure my mom gets the utmost care during this difficult time. She is on her way to recovery. But she cannot fully make it unless she is being taken care of by professionals.

This is probably the hardest moment of mine and my brother’s lives. So if any of you care for us and our family, it would mean the absolute world to us if you could donate even a bit. So far, we are being quoted an estimate of $1,200 per week, for a period of around 6 weeks (according to doctors’ estimates on her fracture healing over). We don’t know if this estimate will be lengthened. But we do know that her head injury might take longer. For now, mom is making strides. We hope that she will be fully recovered a few months from now, and that she will be able to move freely and get back to being her usual, energetic self.