Help Our Family Care for Our Dad During his Final Months

UPDATE 8/01/2025

Hi everyone, its been awhile since I've updated this fund. Those of you who've read this previously know that my dad was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). With chemotherapy, life expectancy of someone with this cancer is about 5 years. We hoped that with treatment, my dad could be one of those people. My dad was scheduled to have his first round of chemotherapy on July 9th.

Unfortunately, this was my dad's first and last round of chemotherapy. My dad had a severe, negative reaction to chemotherapy. He was in severe pain the week after the treatment and he could not stop vomiting despite the medication we were giving to help. Because of this, my dad and our family, with guidance from his doctors, decided that the best decision moving forward would be to stop treatment and transition to hospice end of life care.

As of now, my dad's health has declined significantly. He can no longer walk without falling and his appetite and cognitive function have decreased significantly. Truth be told, we're not sure if he will make it another month or two, or make it to his birthday on the 25th of this month. Every change has been so sudden and unexpected.

I wish I could come with better news. I wish I could say my dad was doing strong and getting better each day. I love my dad very, very much. Coming to terms with his reality has been very difficult for our family, but we're trying to make the most of our time left with him while we still can.

The funds from this gofundme will be used to help pay for our living expenses, such as food, water, gas, rent, bills, etc. Once my dad's time has come, the rest of the funds will be used to cover funeral expenses.

Please, continue to donate and share if you're able to. Any amount would mean the world to our family.

Thank you.

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION BELOW:

Hey everybody, my name is Lawrence. I never thought I would be creating something like this, and I'm not sure what to say or how to start.

This go fund me isn't for me, it's for my dad. His name is Jose Luis. My dad came to this country from Mexico all by himself at the age of 16. He wasn't sure what he was doing or where his life would go, but one thing I know for sure is that my dad always valued his family above all.

My dad lived a very hard life, constantly working to make ends meet while also battling his own struggles of depression, anxiety, medical issues, and gambling addiction. My dad was a taxi driver for over 20 years, and the past 3 years have been a constant financial and emotional struggle, with his hopes and dreams of finding a new job and being able to provide for his family consistently failing over and over again. My dad would tell me "Its okay, everything will work out in the end, we'll get through this," and I'd see how much the weight of the world brought him down when plans failed again and again despite his hard work. I'd see him push through his declining physical and mental health all in the hopes of being able to provide for his family.

So where does that bring us now? Why am I sharing all of this?

Long story short... My dad was diagnosed with a severe, aggressive liver cancer on 5/23/2025.

The cancer causes him to have severe liver infections, and until the infection is under control, he cannot be treated through chemo therapy. There is no guarantee that once the infection is gone that he'll be able to receive chemo therapy. There still isn't much we know and we're still learning more about the state of his health with every doctor visit.

But... what we do know is that without chemo therapy, my dad has about 6 months to a year left of his life.

Its crazy thinking that come around december, my dad might not be here anymore. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for my dad supporting me and my career. My dad used to drive me to work in LA everyday and pick me up late at night to ensure that I could have a career in the field I am in now. He then taught me how to drive, and gave me his taxi so that I could support myself. Now I work in Long Beach, in a position in my career that's significantly better than the one I had before.

I wouldn't be in a stable, better paying job if it wasn't for my dad supporting me 100% of the way. Now, all I want is to be able to support him. And to allow him to live the rest of the time he has left stress free, and doing fun things he couldn't do before due to working all the time to support his family.

The funds from this gofundme will be distributed to my dad throughout the months he has left. The funds will be used for possible emergencies, food, transportation, toiletries, clothing, bills, and any other essentials my dad may need. The funds will also be used for any trips or activities my dad would like to experience while he still can.

Any remaining funds left over after my dad passes will be used for his funeral... Though I hope it won't come to that.

I love my dad very, very much. He deserves to be able to rest and enjoy the life he worked so hard for. So please... Please help my dad rest. Any amount donated would mean the world to our family.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I will make sure to keep everyone updated regarding my dad's condition, whether it improves or worsens.

For now... lets hope for the best.