In Loving Memory of Hilda Iris Mateo

My mother, my heart, my best friend, my everything, Hilda Mateo, has passed away. She was a woman whose life was defined by courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to helping others. A single mother of three, she worked tirelessly to provide for us. She worked two jobs for many years to make sure we had enough.

In 1992, my mother Hilda was given just six months to live, but instead of giving up, she chose to fight. That fight became the start of a new chapter in her life, a life rooted in service, sobriety, and helping others. She began volunteering at Arrive, a social services agency. That was the first step in her seeing greater possibilities in her life. She decided to go back to school in her late 40s and earned a bachelor's degree. That led to her working at St. John's the Divine in Manhattan, supporting those in need through crisis counseling, a soup kitchen, a food pantry and clothing closet, and a small homeless shelter. While working at St. John's, my mom was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to the HIV Planning Council for NYC.

She continued this work at her second job at Boom Health in the Bronx until 2021, retiring only when she was hospitalized for cancer at age 73. Her final day of work ended when I took her to the hospital during her first cancer battle in 2021.

She fought multiple myeloma cancer into remission over the course of 2 years, only to be diagnosed with a second, more aggressive cancer in 2024. Even then, she did not give up. She endured 30 days of radiation and chemo with incredible strength and determination. I will never forget how every day she slowly walked down 4 flights of stairs with only her cane. On her final trip to the hospital, she did the same, walked down those stairs.

Unfortunately, the cancer spread, and she passed away on 4-23-2025.

Despite battling multiple cancers, my mother never gave up. Her resilience and determination in the face of pain was incredible. She fought bravely until the very end. I have so many regrets. Despite her prognosis it was still sudden. We were never given a time frame. I brought her to the hospital, she walked into the hospital, and quickly deteriorated. 27 days later she passed away. I spent every single one of those 27 days with her, by her side, holding her hand as much as I could.

I wish she could have gone home one last time. I brought her ashes back home one last time, so that she could go home. It felt like the right thing to do.

In honor of her legacy, and to reunite her with my brother Michael, who passed away from cancer 20 years ago and rests at the same monastery, I will be placing her ashes at the Graymoor monastery in upstate NY that she loved going to. I also want to arrange for a memorial bench and plaque on the monastery grounds so that friends, family, and anyone touched by her love may visit, reflect, and remember her.

If you would like to support this memorial or simply honor her memory, your kindness is deeply appreciated.

I am raising funds to help cover the cost of:

Cremation and placement of ashes at the monastery Columbarium Mausoleum.

Memorial bench and plaque honoring Hilda Mateo and my brother her son Michael Garcia.