Let's keep Don with all of us

Hi everyone, Drew Fonceca here, and if you're reading this it's likely that you know my amazing Dad directly or indirectly, and if you don't let me tell you a little story about him.

Don (our Dad) grew up among the rich and the poor in India, and decided at an early age that helping those less fortunate than himself was the way he wanted to be. He started by fixing the local kid's bicycles and making a difference in his community, and as he grew up he just kept going and has never really stopped fixing things for others since.

After coming to Canada he took work as a mechanic, married the love-of-his-life (hi Mom!), and became a family man with 4 young children to feed & clothe.

Growing up in Dad's household, we learned by his example. We regularly had family friends or relatives who were down on their luck staying with us. Dad taught us to be generous, and opened our home to half of the kids in my highschool class. They would routinely come over, raid our fridge, watch t.v., and spend the nights there. When I asked Dad "why do you let all these strangers run amok in your house?" he smiled shyly and said "we're all one big family."

Once us kids were all grown up it was time for Dad to retire, and so he and mom moved to Mexico where, as most of you know, he lives and works to this present day. He still serves others and helps the struggling fishermen here by fixing their boats. He also apprentices young mechanics, and even custom-built a car so that a family friend could get around town despite requiring a wheelchair.

And I share all this about my Dad as the time has come for Mr. Fix-It to need some fixing of his own. Dad suffered a severe stroke on Sept 8th and has undergone three emergency surgeries in less than a week in order to save his life and maximize brain function. He's currently in a coma and will need extensive after-care, physio, and rehab when he wakes up. The family has all come down to Mexico to be by his side, and although we are doing our best to manage the medical bills, we realize we need your help for immediate hospital costs as well as those associated with his recovery. We're reaching out to anyone who Dad or his story may have touched and appreciate any donation no matter how small.

We believe that Dad's life has proven the power of family, community, and love for each other, and this latest chapter will just strengthen this message for us all.

Let's get Don back on his feet and back to fixing things for others.

Love,
Drew and the Fonceca Family

***UPDATE - Sept 21***

Hi everyone,

All we can say is "wow" at what we've been able to accomplish in just a couple of days! Seeing your donations gives us hope that Dad can recover, and we can afford to make ends meet for his ongoing care and rehab. In just two days we are already at 7.5%!

Sometimes a tiny glimmer of hope is all it takes to make a difference, and each one of you have made a tremendous difference to us. Thank you for donating, and thank you for passing this on.

The latest news on Dad / Don is that he is in stable condition at the moment but still in intensive care and still unconscious. He continues to make progress each day and can sometimes move his hands or open his eyes a tiny bit if the doctors stimulate him with vigorously. However, until he can regain full consciousness on his own we must continue to wait patiently.

Also, the doctors will perform a tracheostomy so that Dad / Don can breathe better without the use of a ventilator and to help clear up the pneumonia in his lungs. This will be a minor procedure and will overall help with his recovery.

That's all for this update, thank you again, and God bless.


Love,
Drew and the Fonceca Fam