I am Matt Falter, born and raised in America, and I’m doing this fundraiser for my Peruvian brother-in-law, Omar Naveda, who was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2025 is finally out of the hospital (in Nov. 2026) after 6 months and beginning chemotherapy for the remaining cancer that he still has. He is in his wheelchair at church in the main photo above. The cancer in his digestive system caused him to lose so much weight and strength. He walks in his house but we must push him in a wheelchair to go places.
During the 6 months in the hospital, everyone in his close and extended family made sure he never had a day alone in the hospital! We saw him get quite skinny in that time due to how the cancer affected his digestive organs. The pictures here don't do justice to our fright.
Why was he there for so long?
Omar spent over 4 months in the hospital waiting for surgery, which he finally got in September. We were all so excited when we got word of the surgery being scheduled! The wait time was partly because it was a government hospital in Peru, where we live, but mostly it's because it was a complicated surgery. They removed cancer from two spots, one above the liver and one in the duodenum. But they couldn't remove the smaller bit of cancer from a third spot that is in the large intestine, for which he is now beginning chemotherapy. They had to surgically bypass both the large intestine and the duodenum. The bypass of the large intestine is… a little embarrassing, as some of you may know. The bypass of the duodenum is complex because the stomach and the gall duct were detached from the duodenum and reattached to the small intestine, which also involves making the gall duct reach further down.
As you can imagine, Omar obviously does not work, and his main focus is to try to regain his weight and his strength. Omar's wife Graciela, who is with him in the main photo, is a nurse at a clinic. She has spent an exhausting amount of her free time selling things on the street, such as cookies, slices of cake and tea bread, tamales, papas rellenas, etc. to try to make ends meet. Now she has the extra expense of feeding Omar which the state-run hospital had been taking care of.
Why Omar needs donations:
Now Omar is beginning the chemotherapy which will be for many months to come. We are not sure where the money will come from to make this happen. Fortunately, medical costs are less in Peru than in the US, so your help can go a long way! Every $5 helps so much and adds up quickly!
We must depend on your kindness to help us through this.
Your help will also make sure Omar has plenty to eat so he can gain his weight back!
All donations go directly to my US bank account to avoid the high international transfer theft that happens in Peru. Regardless, I will take great care of my brother-in-law.
We know Omar will be cancer-free in 2026 and will return to get surgery to undo the temporary bypasses. We look forward to this day! =^)
Please take a few seconds to say a quick prayer for Omar. We greatly appreciate all of your support!
The peace of Christ be with you.