On August 1st, my beloved mom (known to many as Mama Jude) miraculously survived a massive heart attack termed “the widowmaker” because it is so deadly. She had emergency open heart surgery the next day and got a double bypass (CBAG). The procedure was deemed a success, but she had another heart attack the following day due to unknown complications. She was saved again by an emergency intervention by way of a stent.

We are grateful to the extraordinary medical team that saved her life and for Medicare covering her procedures but we are looking to our community to support her healing.

Mama Jude is a cultural worker, community organizer and advocate for dignity, justice and self-determination. Fighting for collective liberation for the past 50 years, she has always been a worker for the people, for little to no pay. Consequently, she doesn’t have access to government assistance such as Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) or employer benefits such as sick time to provide income during this period.

The average recovery time after open heart surgery is six weeks (not including recovery from the complications of her second heart attack). She will be unable to work for several months as she recovers and prepares for another procedure when she is well enough to undergo a second stent.

We need to raise funds to cover her unpaid leave as well as mine, as I move in and care for her full time. The funds will cover monthly bills, healthy heart foods, physical therapy, bodywork sessions, herbs to make medicine, and daily needs that the loss of two incomes would make impossible to manage.

Mama Jude has always prioritized others above herself. Now her healing needs to be a priority. If you know her, you know how big her heart is. You know that you can't enter her home withought leaving fully fed, that if you open up to her you will leave the conversation feeling more real and more capable of love than you did before. She's always looked out for the underdogs and raised half the kids of Cambridge. To know her is to feel nurtured by her, and now she needs support. I know times are tough for most of us right now and any contribution is appreciated xx

Much love,

Rosa