For the ones who knew Maria Elena Perez "La Cookie" (Lela as her grandchildren call her), you knew she was a beloving daughter, mother, grandmother & friend.

Maria Elena was 64 years old when her life changed from one minute to the next. On August 28th, 2021, driving home from work, she suffered an acute asthma attack; she pulled over into a shopping center due to her inability to catch her breath; this severe asthma attack caused her lungs to start collapsing, which led to cardiac arrest. A gentleman was able to call 911; however, by the time fire rescue arrived, she was unconscious and experienced cerebral hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain). Fire rescue performed CPR for 15 minutes before Maria Elena was resuscitated, arriving at the hospital. Unfortunately, we do not know how long her brain wasn't receiving oxygen; however, it caused a diffused brain injury in the following areas:

Bilateral Cortex, Cerebellum and Basil Ganglia. It impaired her mobility function; she could not speak, and she could not follow commands. The neurologist attending her explained that the prognosis depended on how she improved by clinical assessments. Each patient is different so the prognosis could be determined anywhere from 3 to 6 months after the accident. Right before the six months mark, our Lela's (Cookie) health started to decline; she had a fever for a couple of days due to Bilateral interstitial pneumonia, which caused her white blood cells to elevate & her health to start declining. Two days after, on February 25th, 2022, our beloved Maria Elena passed away.

While keeping our faith and hoping that she would recover from this, my family and I took over all her expenses.

Our beloved Maria Elena (Lela) ("La Cookie") was always the life of the party, and we would love to keep her memory alive with a Celebration Of Life in her honor. Please help us make this possible; all generosity will go towards her Celebration Of Life and the care of her mother, Maria Perez.

We would like to sincerely thank you for all your prayers, love, and support during this very difficult time on behalf of our family. No words will ever be enough to express how grateful we are for all of you!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!