Hello, my name is Anzelito. I want to tell you about my wonderful grandmother, Petra Rivera, and to ask for your help so she can fulfill her goal of becoming a social worker.

Petra is an inspiration to everyone around her and is such a bright light in the lives of others. But she desperately needs help with medical debt right now.

Petra was diagnosed last March with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer. She had double mastectomy surgery and radiation after that, both of which were very expensive. She still needs lymphoma treatment and physical therapy, so the bills will keep coming for several months.

Before her cancer diagnosis, Petra had been working hard to complete a degree in social work. This inspired me because she only got a 6th-grade education in Mexico. She moved to the United States when she was 30, with the selfless wish to give her children more opportunities and better lives. She eventually became a naturalized U.S. citizen and was able to pass her GED exam. She then began taking classes at Coconino Community College, and this beautiful picture is from her graduation last May.

It has taken many years to get this far, and Petra, now 63, has overcome many hardships. She endured twenty years of physical abuse at the hands of her husband, lost a child to suicide, and then lost her job after a work-related injury. Throughout that time, her resilience, perseverance, and unwavering faith have impacted the lives of those around her. Even now, she is helping her daughter, who has also had cancer, and her 94-year-old father.

But I’m proud to say my grandmother wants to do even more — by becoming a social worker! Because of her history of abuse, she wants to help people dealing with domestic violence. She had been accepted into the Social Work Program at Northern Arizona University, and then her cancer was diagnosed. Now she has to wait until she finishes cancer treatment and gets her health back.

Even though Petra has so much courage and is determined to overcome cancer and return to her studies, her medical debt is making that very hard. She gets daily calls from debt collectors and the hospital, asking when she will pay her bills. Petra carries herself with such strength and composure, but I worry that stress makes it harder for her to heal. I also fear that this debt could keep her from eating well as her doctors have recommended and that she won’t be able to afford other necessities of life.

I created this GoFundMe so medical debt won’t keep her from reaching her life goals. I hope we can raise enough to pay off her medical debt (her co-pays are about $20,000), cover what insurance won’t pay of her remaining treatment (roughly $5,000), and have $10,000 to help with tuition when she goes back to school, hopefully this fall.

My grandmother has given so much to her family and community, and she still has so much to offer!

By donating, you will make a significant difference in her life. Thank you very much for your generosity and your concern.