Hi everyone, my name is Angela and I’m organizing this fundraiser for my best friend, Irene. She’s one of the strongest, most hardworking people I know, but right now she’s facing something no one should ever have to go through.

Irene is only 21 years old, and she’s already been through more heartbreak than anyone should ever have to face. On October 11, 2024, her mom passed away after a long and painful battle with breast cancer. Now, just one year later, her dad has passed away on November 4, 2025 after being in the CVICU with multi organ failure.

In the span of a year, Irene has lost both of her parents. She has no siblings here to lean on. She’s completely on her own, trying to hold her life together while grieving the unimaginable.

Even through everything, Irene has never stopped working toward her dream of becoming a nurse. She’s a full time nursing student who works two jobs just to stay afloat. She spends her nights working 12 hour CNA shifts, then heads straight into early morning barista shifts before studying for upcoming exams. She barely sleeps, yet still finds the strength to keep going because she has no other choice.

Since her mom passed, Irene has been the one handling everything all on her own: rent, groceries, bills, tuition, insurance, and everything in between. And now, on top of all of that, she’s faced with the cost of her dad’s funeral and the weight of losing the last parent she had.

Irene has one of the kindest, most selfless hearts. She’s the type of person who would give everything she has to help someone else, even when she’s struggling herself. But right now, she’s the one who needs help.

Any amount you’re able to give will go toward funeral expenses, rent, and basic living costs to help Irene get through this devastating time without losing the stability she’s fought so hard to keep.

If you can’t donate, even sharing this means more than you know. Thank you for taking the time to read Irene’s story and for helping her through the hardest moment of her life.

In Loving Memory of Reynaldo Bautista