- B
Ten-year-old Ismael (Izzy) and his mother, Carmen Santamaria, are two of the most beautiful souls you may ever meet, and they are STILL facing the unthinkable. A diagnosis of osteosarcoma, chemo, a moment of reprieve as "cancer-free", and then a recurrence that has required many additional rounds of chemo and lung surgery, and has left their future unknown. We have leaned on community to raise funds to support them twice in the past, and friends, family, and strangers have come through for them.
Today, we are reaching out for support again. The nightmare that is cancer has been ruling Carmen and Izzy's lives for the last 18+ months. Carmen has only been able to work a few weeks out of that time, and your previous donations have kept them afloat. Now, Izzy is facing a monumental next step. In March, Izzy will have his leg amputated. This is a necessary, life-saving step that Carmen and Izzy are approaching with astounding bravery.
Beyond the physical, this surgery is bringing a litany of logistical challenges.
- Carmen and Izzy's current apartment is in a building with two flights of stairs and no elevator.
- They live on a busy street without dedicated parking.
The surgery is a month away, and they will need a housing alternative as early as mid-March. We are reaching out into our local community to find a housing alternative for Carmen.
However, Carmen does not have the financial resources to pay for this housing (on top of the rent for their current apartment which they don't want to lose). Carmen has sought out support from every public venue but the options are often too temporary, limited, or overwhelmed with applicants at a time when funding is frozen or shrinking.
So we are turning again to the generosity of family, friends, and strangers to ask you to help us give the gift of a safe, accessible home for Izzy to heal in.
We have set a budget of $2500 per month for 6 months which is the minimum amount of time Izzy will need to heal and learn to use a prosthetic. Which means our goal is to raise $15,000 or more to support short-term housing, moving costs, and potentially longer-term housing. If you are able to contribute any amount-- know that it will go directly to putting a roof over this family's head as this young man forges a new path with a new leg and hopefully a renewed future.