Helping Michelle Reach Her Final Resting Place

In the wake of the tragic loss of my little sister, Michelle Ochoa, our family hopes you can share support to her and ease the burden of travel, transport, hotel accommodations, meals and memorial services by allowing our family the space and time to grieve without worrying about access to sufficient funds to provide for Michelle’s final wish of laying her to rest in the beautiful waters of Maui, Hawaii. All donations will go to our family.

Our little Michelle came into this world on February 4, 2009. Baby Michelle completed our family and brought happiness unlike we had ever experienced. On August 15, 2022, however, that life was tragically cut short due to a rare form of cancer.

It was on January 24th, 2022, that Michelle and our family were given the devastating news that she had several tumors scattered in the liver and lungs in addition to a tangerine-sized tumor by her adrenal gland. She was one of only a million Americans impacted by adrenal cortical carcinoma. Her team of doctors knew that this advanced growth of the cells would result in a terminal cancer diagnosis. Given the situation, the doctor’s made their best efforts to prolong Michelle's life through targeted therapy and other life supporting medications. Despite the grim news, Michelle took the news in stride and opted to make the most of the short time left to her, using persistence and dedication to overcome the increasingly painful medical challenges while caring for and supporting our family through her final journey.

At just 13, Michelle was a young teen who expressed a profound passion for anime and shared that joy with her two cousins, Brenda and Samantha. But she was also a wise young soul who knew just how to provide love and support to every member of the family. When her older brother, Erick, disclosed his intimate feelings for a girl at his school, she chose the perfect words to guide him in his pursuit of young love. Whenever I, Michelle’s older sister, was having a tough day at work, Michelle always sent me motivational messages to help me keep going. Her care for our parents knew no boundary and she enjoyed serving as mama’s little sous chef and papa’s shopping helper on last minute Target or grocery runs. So, after the devastating news of her illness Michelle knew she wanted an experience she could share with our family and requested a Make-A-Wish to be the one to take our family to Hawaii. She was able to get us out to Hawaii to meet some dolphins and enjoy a horseback riding trip on Kualoa Ranch. The trip ended on a sour note when she was rushed to the hospital where she spent a couple of days in recovery before returning home. Heartbroken that our family spent the end of the trip in the hospital instead of the beautiful beaches, Michelle endeavored to one day get us back to Hawaii for a carefree swim.

You see, Michelle loved to swim. In 2012, at the tender age of 3, Michelle first tested the waters in the heat of the summer. She quickly became Nemo, mastering the skill of swimming through her persistence and dedication. Those same defining traits pushed Michelle to create a bucket list of epic end-of-life missions to make her last moments unforgettable. This list included getting a tattoo, camping, hosting a supreme nacho party and even riding a Vespa, just like the kids from the Pixar movie Luca. As she made her way through this list, her health deteriorated rapidly, but her determination to complete the list was steadfast. She made every moment count.

Before passing, Michelle’s final wish was for her ashes to be laid to rest in the ocean by Maui. Hawaii’s beach was special to her because she was able to make unforgettable memories with our family, and it allowed her to swim free like Nemo. Thank you for helping us make Michelle’s final wish come true.

Sincerely,

The Ochoa Family - Erick, Jennifer, Mireya & Jorge

Michelle Memorial Video Click Here