Help me get my grandfather home

Dear Family and Friends:


My name is Andrey. This is the picture of my grandfather, Fernando Gimenez Ferrer. After 60 years of marriage, in February of this year grandmother passed away, and this was one of the biggest life changes for my him. He lost weight and became extremely depressed. I wanted to lift his spirits up and invited him to come to visit me to Montreal, Canada, since my grandfather at that time lived alone in Bogotá, Colombia.

From the moment he came to see me, I noticed a decline in his health.  Unfortunately, two months after he arrived in Montreal, I was forced to take Grandfather to the emergency as he became critically ill. He was hospitalized for one week and the costs of his daily stay in the hospital was $700 per night (expenses that no insurance company or travel insurance would cover for a 94 years old man).

Soon after, we were told he needed dialysis, and so we started to make arrangements to take him back to Bogota. I made the travel arrangements  from the nearest city that offered a direct flight to Bogota, which was from Newark in the US (about 4 hours away from Montreal). On the way to the airport, he collapsed. I will never forget the terrifying experience of giving him chest compressions on the side of the road while my mother called 911. Since then, he has been hospitalized near Newark, fighting between life and death for about 18 days. After tremendous efforts, although weak, today is he well enough to fly back home. The hospital is asking for his immediate discharge due to the high costs associated with his hospitalization. However, all the costs incurred in this journey, which include flights, hospital visits and transportation expenses have exhausted both his savings and mine.

Since he is a 94 years old man, with extremely limited resources, I am asking for your help to raise funds to get him back to Bogota, where he has insurance to get the necessary medical care that he desperately needs. The funds raised will pay for hospital fees, the travel costs to Colombia and the medical care he will receive when he arrives in Colombia.

My grandfather, a war veteran always made sure others were taken care of. My only wish is to care for him so that however long he lives, that he does it in a loving and dignifying way.

I am not accustomed to asking for money, but this is a desperate time for our family. Any amount helps. If you are not able to donate, I ask that you share this with your friends and family. In advance, thank you for taking the time to read this and for your donation. 


With love and gratitude,

                                                     Andrey Gimenez.