Hello GoFundMe community, my name is Victor Montes and I am fundraising for my family and wife during these financially hard times. My wife Maricela Montes was diagnosed with Stage 3 Uterine and Cervical Cancer in March 2021. The news was devastating to our entire family but especially for her since she was going to be the one enduring all the treatment. She is fighting this, I wont let her give up. She helped me fight through my PTSD when I did my tours in Iraq, the least I can do is help her fight through this Cancer.

We are a single income household with only myself working part time earning $14 an hour working about 28 hours a week. We had an idea that the treatments were going to take a toll on my wife's body but we weren't expecting for the treatments to take a toll on our finances as well. Just the gas alone we are spending about $120 a week which is literally a 3rd of my paycheck weekly. We have county health coverage which doesn't really do much as far as additional resources and were fighting tooth and nail to even get the treatment started for my wife as the days were just going by and by feeling as though nobody wanted to help her. Eventually with enough fighting and pushing the doctors to do something we were finally able to get the authorizations we needed for my wife to start treatment. Unfortunately because of our really poor health insurance, she hadn't started treatment until last month in July plus we didn't get approved to go to the City of Hope that is around the corner from our house. She started treatment (external radiation and chemo) at the City of Hope in Sherman Oaks 5 days a week about 60 miles from where we live and she has about 3 weeks left of treatment (internal radiation) in Duarte which is about 80 miles from where we live.

Me, my wife and my kids have had to sacrifice during these times. My kids have been having to walk to school (wouldn't be a big deal if we didn't live in the high desert where we see 100 degree weather) since I take our only vehicle to work and my wife is on heavy medication so she cannot drive. We have yet to be able to take them back to school shopping. I cannot afford to take any time off of work because we are barely getting by as it is. Some utility bills have had to be extended, car note extended, get rid of cable, turn off cellphones, oil change (we have driven 4300 miles since she started treatment).......I mean the list goes on.

My family is running on fumes and faith. I am reaching out using GoFundMe's platform in hopes of reaching people's hearts and compassion. For anyone who has had to battle the fight of cancer or know the battle of fighting cancer, it is no easy feat, but a battle when won, can bring tears and years of joy to come.

My family has the ability fight the physical, mental, and spiritual battle with cancer. We are hoping YOU can help us fight the financial one. Thank you and God bless.