Help Christine & Josefina!

Hi all,

I'm initiating this GoFundMe to ask my community for help and support for my birth mother, Josefina. Some of you who know me well are aware of the story, but others might not be. Today is Josefina's bday and we are organizing for ongoing support. I'm trying to make sure that the years she has left to live are her happiest years. She's had a really difficult life and has experienced extreme trauma - and I want to make sure she is taken care of but I’m realizing I cannot do it alone. I'm trying to raise funds to ensure she has rent at a sustainable independent living facility with proper healthcare assistance, some spending money on clothes & toiletries, and savings for end of life needs. While she is in relatively good health and spirits at the moment, it is unclear what the future holds.

A little background for those who don't know me or Josefina well:

When I was four, my birth mother was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. To my knowledge, she became a ward of the state after her and my father separated. She was placed on a social security disability income and housed by a San Diego group home. She was living there for some time; my brother and I received annual birthday calls from her up until my 18th birthday. Around that time in 2001, my family moved out of San Diego and we lost contact with Josefina, not knowing the danger she was in. A few years later when I was starting college in Santa Cruz, we received a random phone call from her, but without any information to contact her again. I began searching for Josefina at local shelters and independent living homes, but I was unable to get any traction or leads as to her whereabouts. Independently, her family in the Dominican Republic had reached out to the embassy and my godfather had hired a private detective. Years passed without me knowing where Josefina was or what type of situation she was in.

In 2018, I received a phone call from the San Diego Sheriff's office. They had found my birth mother, but she was in bad shape. It is suspected that from the years between 2003 and 2018 she was lured in by a person claiming to be a caretaker after her group home shut down. Josefina, along with other elders, were victims of physical and emotional abuse, false imprisonment, kidnapping, extreme isolation, starvation, theft of benefits, and in the case of one of the victims -death. When social services and authorities found my birth mother, she was 81 lbs and could barely walk. All of her SSDI money had been stolen and she was in a catatonic state due to overmedicating. The caregiver stood trial in 2020 and has been convicted; now serving time in prison.

After the trial, Josefina found stable housing in San Diego using her disability income to support herself. She attended classes, went to regularly scheduled doctor's appointments to get her proper medications, and found community with a local church she attended. However, in November of 2022, I lost communication with her again. Her housing costs were raised and she was no longer able to afford her rent so she was asked to leave the home. She has been living in temporary housing situations since then and we are desperate to find her more permanent housing.

Because Josefina is in such a vulnerable position, I agreed to offer her a short-term housing option with me, but it's not sustainable for either of us in the long-term. She needs more health care assistance and financial support than I can offer and it's been hard on both of our mental health states. I've become a full-time caregiver overnight while still committing to a full-time job. I'm exhausted and I'm realizing that burn-out is quickly approaching.

It's with a humble and tender heart, I come to you asking for help. I can't begin to know what type of trauma Josefina has experienced, nor will I ever know the pain she has been through. I just want to make sure she is safe and cared for and has the opportunity to live these final years knowing joy. She loves music, making art, architecture, her books, Star Wars, and eating delicious food. She is a car aficionado. She cares deeply for others, loves story-telling, and is always excited to meet new people. And if she could, she would love to be independent and working and contributing so that she could feel just like us; someone respected and seen in a world that hasn't always been kind to her.

Thanks for reading.