Honoring Cynthia DeLeon: Funeral Assistance Needed

Joseph DeLeon is organizing this fundraiser.

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UPDATE: I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who has donated, shared, and supported during this incredibly challenging time. Your generosity, kindness, and the outpouring of love have been overwhelming and deeply appreciated by our family.

Thanks to your support, we reached our original goal of $5,000. I set that amount with hope and urgency, but with little clarity on the true costs involved. As many of you likely know, funerals and related expenses go far beyond what anyone anticipates. In total, the cost of everything came to just about $30,000 — a number that has taken us by surprise.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to raise the campaign goal to $10,000. This new amount reflects a portion of the actual expenses, and any further contributions will go directly toward covering those remaining costs.

Please know that any support — whether it’s financial, emotional, or simply sharing the campaign — means the world to us. Thank you again for standing with us.

In May of 2024, my mother, Cynthia DeLeon, was diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm of her head and neck. From the start, this aggressive cancer caused her immense pain and discomfort. Despite the challenges, Cynthia faced it all with courage.

She underwent a major surgery that involved the removal of her lower right mandible and a quarter of her tongue. To reconstruct her jaw, her left fibula was grafted to replace the extracted mandible. After months of complications, extended hospital stays across two different hospitals, and enduring chemotherapy and radiation, she fought with incredible strength. Tragically, within two months, the cancer returned and metastasized.

The dedicated doctors and medical staff at UCLA, Ridley Tree Center, and Cottage Hospital worked tirelessly to provide the best care possible, and my family and I are forever grateful for their efforts.

Since my mother’s diagnosis, I have depleted savings and took on debt to ensure she received the care she needed. She passed away March 21st, 2025. I've honored her wishes to be laid to rest near her family at Holy Cross. Now, I am humbly asking for support to recover from the financial strain of this past year and help cover the costs of her funeral.

Cynthia was a kind, compassionate soul whose greatest joy was making others feel comfortable and loved. Her warmth touched everyone she met, and she will forever be missed.

Any contribution, no matter how small, would mean the world to me and my family. I deeply appreciate your time in reading this and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and support.

With gratitude,

Joseph DeLeon

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