Help Lender Breathe Normally Again!

Joshua Gbafa is organizing this fundraiser.

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My name is Lender Garcia and I’m a 21-year-old Venezuelan that lived 18 years in Venezuela where I grew up and unfortunately due to economic issues and security I had to abandon everything that my motherland provided to me and came to Chile, which is where I currently reside. I have never requested anyone’s help to do something and since I got here I have been working tirelessly and all the medical bills that I have had throughout the last 4 years have been paid by me. As a result of being sick with overactive bladder, chronic gastroenteritis, and cholinergic urticaria, 80% of my money has been put into resolving the above issues.

Leaving everything behind and becoming an immigrant has left a scar that, still to this day, I am trying to heal and recover from it because it still hurts. I miss my grandparents and friends, so recently, with the money I had saved up, I bought a ticket to travel to Venezuela not only to visit my family but also to obtain my passport so I can be free once and for all, given that obtaining one in the Venezuelan embassy here in Chile is almost as impossible as riding a bike with triangular wheels. You may not be familiar with this particular issue, but I will sum it up quickly for you: the wait just to get your fingerprints and picture taken is at least 2 years and the price for the passport is incredibly expensive. The corrupt government we have has made everything difficult for us, to the point where I consider my passport one of the most valuable things I possess - that’s why I’m traveling. Why do I not have the capacity to pay for the 3 surgeries that I must undergo, you may be wondering? Well, traveling to Miami from Chile and having a brief holiday is cheaper than just traveling to Venezuela, with a one-way ticket costing me almost $800 and I haven’t even bought the return ticket yet. I went to see a doctor who told me that I had to get 3 different exams that would cost me $200, so I decided to withstand everything despite the discomfort and hoped that it would disappear. 5 months went by and the issues grew worse, so I returned to the doctor, asked to receive the most important of the exams, and was ultimately diagnosed with Deviated septum accompanied with Concha bullosa and Turbinate hypertrophy - a combination which makes breathing an extremely difficult task as a result of a blockage caused by the above conditions and which leads to several other symptoms like sleep apnea. The doctor emphasized that I must get these 3 surgeries done as soon as possible, especially given the fact that I also have asthma, which combined with above conditions and the covid-19 pandemic, could easily result in my death if I were to contract the virus. These surgeries altogether are likely to cost at least $3500, not including other fees and hospital expenses - and this is assuming that all the three surgeries can be done on the same day, as they could end up being significantly more expensive if I end up having to have them done separately and at different times/months. Additionally, there is a significant recovery time for each of these surgeries, which could also affect my ability to work or even cause me to lose my job, so general living expenses will likely also factor into these expenses especially given the fact that my family also depends on my income as well.

Healthy Turbinate (Nasal Cavity)