Help Juanita Fight Breast Cancer

Beth A Merrill is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

We just got some jarring news here in Nicaragua. Long-time Planting Hope host mom and advocate of many, many good causes, Juana Rubi Guerrero Arista just found out that she has breast cancer. Juana is just 37 years old and is the single mom of Christopher, age 7. We are still learning new details, but apparently it's going to be complicated given one of the lump's proximity to her lung. After the latest biopsy results, she needs to get an appointment with the private Breast Cancer Clinic in Managua to get an "open" biopsy, as well as get more ultrasounds of the rest of her body. The tests and treatment she needs are not available in Matagalpa, and she will need to travel to Managua which will incur a lot of costs. We also know that the public health system here can be very slow and that some private and paid care might be necessary to speed up this proccess and give her a better chance of beating this.

This is a huge scare and blow to her, her family and to Planting Hope's community here in Nicaragua and in Vermont, since so many people have had the pleasure of staying with her over the past 10 years.

Juanita has not asked for any of this help, but her sister Mercedes and I thought that it was important to let all of her friends know and offer the chance to help with whatever they can do.

Please note, this is not a Planting Hope campaign, but a private one, with funds being given to Juanita to use as she needs them for treatment, transportation and care for Cristopher. Mercedes and I have talked to Juanita about this campaign and she is very grateful for any help.