Erwin & Edna Ortiz-luis
Donation protected
Dear family and friends,
I'm asking for your help for my uncle and aunt. My family isn’t usually in favor of publicizing their issues, but it's come to point where help is definitely needed and I believe any little thing could help them out.
My Uncle Erwin is my mom's youngest and only surviving brother. He’s my godfather and one of the people who’s always looked out for me. He is the youngest of 7, 3 boys and 4 girls. He is 48 years old and was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014. It started out as a lump growing on the left side of his neck that he thought was a muscle spasm. When it didn’t go away, he got a biopsy and learned it's nasopharyngeal carcinoma with bone metastasis. It's been a year and a half since diagnosis, but he is almost unrecognizable now… going from about 180lbs to 120lbs.
His wife, my Auntie Edna, is 42 years old and has been the back bone of their family. She is one of the hardest working people I know. When my uncle was diagnosed, he had to stop working and she did everything… work full-time, take care of their home, drive my uncle to hospital appointments, and take care of their kids. Their daughter Niah is 12, and their son Erin is 10. It came as a shock to the entire family when we found out this year, April 2015, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was unbelievable that they were both dealing with cancer at the same time. Luckily her breast cancer was diagnosed early enough and recently got the surgery to have her breasts removed. Though she was relieved to be confirmed as cancer free, she is still currently undergoing chemo and radiation. Doctors tell her to rest but still insists on looking after my uncle and the kids before herself. This week, she recently caught a virus and learned her breast has an infection. She was told that stress is a major risk factor in cancer.
At this time, my uncle is living in a large amount of pain. Just this month, they've called 911 three times in panic, worried that it might be fatal. Each time he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Each time costing $1000. Doctors are saying he is pretty much surviving on pain medication for relief. His specific type of cancer is rarely treated in California and if he wants to get special care, he may need to go somewhere out of state. He was referred to a hospital in Houston, Texas. Of course it will be expensive, but the family is staying positive that he may have chance of survival. Unfortunately the severeness of his pain varies from day to day and may be unsafe to travel. For this reason they have been holding off at the moment.
Throughout all of this, my little cousins have been staying stronger than anybody. I can tell that they're just as stressed out but they don't like to burden their parents with a lot of responsibility. They insist that they are okay and can take care of many things on their own. I’ve seen Erin help his dad in and out of bed and feed him when he can’t do it himself. It’s inspiring to see them do whatever they can to help their parents on top of being able to make school a priority. My aunt was showing me their report cards and was so proud that they're at the top of their class. It's crazy how just a couple years ago I saw them as little kids running around and playing. Now they would rather stay at home with their parents instead of going out to play. In a year, they've become so much more mature and grown up.
I don't need to lay out all the numbers to explain that they're in an incredible amount of debt from hospital bills including their regular monthly bills such as mortgage payments and etc. With the upcoming Texas trip option as a solution to treatment, they are not letting themselves stress about finances and are more concerned about getting well. “Money isn’t important to us right now,” my aunt tells me. I couldn't restrain myself from crying when my uncle talked about how he wishes he could just play a game of basketball with his son at the park. He is trying not to be negative that death may be near because the only thing he wants is to see his kids grow up. He is accepting that it is a likely possibility, but doesn’t want to stop fighting.
My aunt and uncle are one of the most generous people I know. They've always gone out of their way to help others without expecting anything in return. I put this fundraiser up because I thought it was the least I can do. I don't personally have thousands of dollars to give them, but I do know that a few dollars here and there add up and it's something to show them that there are others who are compassionate about what they are going through.
Thank you for reading.
(August 2014, 2 months after my uncle was diagnosed -at their nieces' 18th birthday party)
(Recent photos, October 2015)
(A photo of them as a young couple)
(My uncle as a young boy with my mom, Janet, on the left and their older sister, Merle, on the right.)
(Just graduating highschool with my grandma next to him)
I'm asking for your help for my uncle and aunt. My family isn’t usually in favor of publicizing their issues, but it's come to point where help is definitely needed and I believe any little thing could help them out.
My Uncle Erwin is my mom's youngest and only surviving brother. He’s my godfather and one of the people who’s always looked out for me. He is the youngest of 7, 3 boys and 4 girls. He is 48 years old and was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014. It started out as a lump growing on the left side of his neck that he thought was a muscle spasm. When it didn’t go away, he got a biopsy and learned it's nasopharyngeal carcinoma with bone metastasis. It's been a year and a half since diagnosis, but he is almost unrecognizable now… going from about 180lbs to 120lbs.
His wife, my Auntie Edna, is 42 years old and has been the back bone of their family. She is one of the hardest working people I know. When my uncle was diagnosed, he had to stop working and she did everything… work full-time, take care of their home, drive my uncle to hospital appointments, and take care of their kids. Their daughter Niah is 12, and their son Erin is 10. It came as a shock to the entire family when we found out this year, April 2015, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was unbelievable that they were both dealing with cancer at the same time. Luckily her breast cancer was diagnosed early enough and recently got the surgery to have her breasts removed. Though she was relieved to be confirmed as cancer free, she is still currently undergoing chemo and radiation. Doctors tell her to rest but still insists on looking after my uncle and the kids before herself. This week, she recently caught a virus and learned her breast has an infection. She was told that stress is a major risk factor in cancer.
At this time, my uncle is living in a large amount of pain. Just this month, they've called 911 three times in panic, worried that it might be fatal. Each time he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Each time costing $1000. Doctors are saying he is pretty much surviving on pain medication for relief. His specific type of cancer is rarely treated in California and if he wants to get special care, he may need to go somewhere out of state. He was referred to a hospital in Houston, Texas. Of course it will be expensive, but the family is staying positive that he may have chance of survival. Unfortunately the severeness of his pain varies from day to day and may be unsafe to travel. For this reason they have been holding off at the moment.
Throughout all of this, my little cousins have been staying stronger than anybody. I can tell that they're just as stressed out but they don't like to burden their parents with a lot of responsibility. They insist that they are okay and can take care of many things on their own. I’ve seen Erin help his dad in and out of bed and feed him when he can’t do it himself. It’s inspiring to see them do whatever they can to help their parents on top of being able to make school a priority. My aunt was showing me their report cards and was so proud that they're at the top of their class. It's crazy how just a couple years ago I saw them as little kids running around and playing. Now they would rather stay at home with their parents instead of going out to play. In a year, they've become so much more mature and grown up.
I don't need to lay out all the numbers to explain that they're in an incredible amount of debt from hospital bills including their regular monthly bills such as mortgage payments and etc. With the upcoming Texas trip option as a solution to treatment, they are not letting themselves stress about finances and are more concerned about getting well. “Money isn’t important to us right now,” my aunt tells me. I couldn't restrain myself from crying when my uncle talked about how he wishes he could just play a game of basketball with his son at the park. He is trying not to be negative that death may be near because the only thing he wants is to see his kids grow up. He is accepting that it is a likely possibility, but doesn’t want to stop fighting.
My aunt and uncle are one of the most generous people I know. They've always gone out of their way to help others without expecting anything in return. I put this fundraiser up because I thought it was the least I can do. I don't personally have thousands of dollars to give them, but I do know that a few dollars here and there add up and it's something to show them that there are others who are compassionate about what they are going through.
Thank you for reading.
(August 2014, 2 months after my uncle was diagnosed -at their nieces' 18th birthday party)(Recent photos, October 2015)(A photo of them as a young couple)(My uncle as a young boy with my mom, Janet, on the left and their older sister, Merle, on the right.)(Just graduating highschool with my grandma next to him)Organizer and beneficiary
Anrea Santos
Organizer
Lake Elsinore, CA
Edna Ortiz-luis
Beneficiary