Hi, my name is Christina Rivera. As some of you may know I have a sister Laura Garcia, who was born with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) which is a severe skin disorder that consists of extensive blistering of the skin causing breakage in the skin. Laura was born February 4, 1992. Since day one my mom has been caring for her daily routine of being wrapped in xeroform gauze and bandages from the neck down. At the time of birth doctors told my mom she was only expected to live less than three months, but by the grace of God she still here and ready to celebrate her 24th birthday! In 2010, Laura was diagnosed with skin cancer called Squamous Cell Carcinoma on her right foot. After four years of being on and off of treatment (due to medical insurance issues) the cancer spread up her leg and unfortunately at that point chemo thearpy and radiation were not an option. In October 2014, our family and doctors decided to go through with a very risky surgery of amputating her leg from above the knee. By the glory of God, Laura came out of surgery feeling like a whole new person! I've never seen someone more excited and equipped to live their life at it's fullest! Laura was in remission for six months, when my mom noticed a mysterious lump on the right side of her groin. The doctors diagnosed it as just a "swollen lymph node". As the time went by being untreated, the lump grew which convinced the doctors to do a biopsy. Laura was diagnosed with cancer again. She had to undergo surgery once more but this time only part of the tumor was able to be removed. A couple months went by and doctors told my mom that the surgery to remove the remaining cancer was not possible due to Laura's severe condition. My mom being the fighter that she always has been for Laura was able to convince the doctors to do radiation. Through out five months Laura was her normal self-as happy as can be, when out of no where she felt pain in her stomach and was continuously vommitting. She was admitted to the hospital in November 2015, for a good two months she was in and out. When they finally sent her home our orders were to keep her comfortable and happy for her remaining time. At this point, doctors are leaving us hopeless with many financial obsticles. Being that my mom is her main caregiver it has been mentally,physically and financially hard for her to endure. I am humbly asking for any amount of donation to help pay for any payments that we may face for Laura's doctors visits as well as financial help for my mom's bills.
Laura is such a beautiful daughter, sister and auntie and we are so blessed that God has allowed us to have her in our lives this long. She is a true warrior for life and we will continue to pray and fight until it is God's will to take her home.
I am extremly thankful for all of you taking the time to read Laura's beautiful fight to live and I appreciate any help that is given. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and may God bless you!