This is my uncle, Jose Gonzalez, and I last week while I was stopping by his and my brother's apartment to help him out with errands. My uncle is 55 years old and is a mechanic. He's super smart and a whiz at math!

My uncle lives in San Antonio, TX with my little brother Jonathan who is currently doing his best to support and care for my uncle. They've been living here since 2014. I am currently in Grad School here at UTSA and I come visit my uncle and brother about once a week and help them with errands.

On December 21st of last year (2020), my uncle had to be rushed to the hospital from work due to a seizure. While at the hospital his doctor found a mass in his brain that was about 2.5cmx2.5cm. The doctor determined the tumor was malignant and the cause of the seizure. My uncle ended up staying at the hospital until the 24th of December. He was referred to a neurosurgeon at UT Health Science Center but because of cost he was discouraged to see the doctor immediately. I also don't think he truly grasped the severity of his diagnoses. Since being diagnosed he has been slowly losing more and more function of his body. It started with having a weak right side of his body to a slight limp when walking, to now inability to use his right arm and leg. As of right now he can't dress himself, needs help standing up or going to the bathroom, and has difficulty walking even with a cane. We are really hoping things don't get worse before his appointment with his current neurosurgeon. Currently my little brother is taking care of him and trying his best to support him since my uncle can't work anymore. My family and I really want to help my uncle but we don't know how much all treatment and surgery will cost, but we were told it would be an overwhelming amount of money and we don't have much money to offer. The three day hospital stay alone was $23,000.

My mom will soon be arriving in San Antonio, TX to help my brother and I take better care of our uncle since his health seems to be getting worse. We are currently waiting for my uncle to be seen by a neurosurgeon in late April and we are really hoping that we can move forward from treatment soon after. Once that appointment happens we'll have a clear picture of the treatment my uncle will be getting as well as cost. 

Unfortunately, my uncle doesn't have any health insurance and is not eligible for CareLink which is a financial assistance program through UT Health for Bexar County residents who need help paying medical bills. We are asking that you please help us save my uncles life by donating, but of course we know that these are incredibly difficult times for everyone. Any help would be incredibly appreciated! Our current goal is $75,000, with the hope that this will at least get my uncle through surgery to remove the tumor and pay for his December hospital visit. We will worry about the rest of the cost once he gets better! 

In case you want to know a little bit more about my uncle:
This photo was taken December 26th, just a few days after we found out my uncle had a tumor in his brain. My mom, step dad, and older brother came down from Missouri as soon as they heard. I was on my last few days of quarantine so I was wearing a mask as a precaution, luckily no one got sick though!! 

This was my uncle back when we lived in Sikeston, MO. He was super skinny and super vegan. He has always been very spiritual and he used to dedicate a lot of time to yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. My three brothers and I grew up with my uncle pretty much our whole lives and my uncle helped my mom raise us since she was a single mom and he didn't marry or have any kids. He considers us his kids and he helped take care of us without ever complaining about it or making us or my mom feel bad for needing him. He helped my mom buy us food, clothing, and any school necessities. My uncle has always been a hard worker and loved working through math problem books. He also used to teach my brothers and I about circuit boards and magnets lol. 

This photo was taken in the late 90's when my family and I went to the St. Louis Arch and chilled at the underground museum. I remember my uncle would always tell us everything he knew about history or science and about his life growing up. He was an engineer in the Mexican Navy and he traveled the world while enlisted. I specifically remember being so fascinated when he would tell us about going to Japan, China, and India. Those stories really opened up my curiosity for the world and made me think my uncle was the coolest person ever lol. He always had an awesome story to tell.

This was my uncle's Navy photo; he was about 19 years old here. My uncle was an engineer in the Navy and he talked all the time about the boats that he worked on and the docks that they'd land on. I really think that traveling the world in the Navy made my uncle the calm and spiritual soul that he is today. He has always been such a sweet and calm guy, I think I've seen my uncle get mad maybe a handful of times in my life. He is seriously one of the kindest people I know.

This is a picture of my uncle and I in Chicago, IL when I was a little baby.

This was my mom, uncle, step dad, little brother, and I visiting my older brother in Little Rock while traveling to San Antonio, TX in 2014. My family and I aren't as close as most families probably are but we've always been there for one another and help each other when times get tough. My family is pretty scattered around the US at the moment, but as I said earlier my mom will soon be joining us in San Antonio to help take care of my uncle while we wait for treatment for him. My older brothers are trying their best to save up money as well but they have families of their own to support and I unfortunately don't make a whole lot of money as a grad student.

We of course are not expecting anything but we really hope that you can help us out. Thank you for reading this and thank you for any help and support you can offer. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones!!