My name is Louis Carrion and I come from a large family made up of 13 siblings, 80 nephews and nieces, hundreds of cousins, plus many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. By far, family is the greatest blessing in my life.

A year ago today, we lost my young nephew Carlos because of a serious heart condition. The photo shown here is a precious picture taken when Stella was a baby - capturing a tender moment between a grandfather and his granddaughter that beautifully reflects the deep love he had for his family.

A couple of weeks ago, little Stella had to undergo a 13-hour emergency surgery to remove a large brain tumor. Thanks to God’s mercy and her amazing medical team, the surgery successfully removed 95% of the tumor, which was thankfully benign. Prayers were answered, and Stella is now out of ICU and moved to rehabilitation where she is courageously relearning how to eat, walk, and talk.

With additional prayers and months of rehabilitation ahead , we hope that she will be singing and dancing again- just as she loved to do before she was rushed in for her life-saving surgery.

As you can imagine, her parents , Ivana and Tony, have experienced the nightmare that all of us with children fear most. Their faith and courage, along with the support of family and friends, have been a constant source of strength and hope.

Stella’s recovery will be a long and challenging journey. We are deeply grateful to the many people who have reached out to help, including caring for their other three young children. Certainly, continued prayers are needed and greatly appreciated.

We realize the significant medical costs facing this young family on top of the stress and fear that are now part of their daily lives. On their behalf, I kindly ask you to please contribute what you can to help ease their financial burden. Thank you. Louis Carrion

Stella’s Video