A Table for Everyone: A Foundation for Us

Lori Moreno is the person who carries the world so no one else has to feel its weight. If you have ever been around her, you have been cared for. Her home isn't just a house: it is a sanctuary where the door is always unlocked, the table is always set, and no one (ever) is an outsider. Being a mother isn't a title she wears: it is the air she breathes.

Now, for the first time in her life, she cannot carry this alone.

The Heart That Raised Us

Lori is the sole foundation for her three children and her six grandkids.

For me, JC, Lori is the only parent I have ever known. She raised me alone, standing as a one-woman fortress against every hardship we faced. My father wasn't in the picture until I was an adult, which means every meal on the table, every lesson learned, and every ounce of support I ever had came from her hands alone.

She has spent her life being our greatest advocate:

The Kitchen: This is Lori and Steph’s sacred space. It’s where the noise of the world fades out and their rhythm takes over. It isn’t about the chores: it’s about the laughter, the shared secrets, and the joy of just being together.

The Music and the Dreams: For her sons, John and me, Lori has been the silent engine behind our "creative craziness." While others saw loud dreams and late nights, she saw our potential. She showed up to every show, bought the merch, shared the flyers, and became a legend in the local music scene for backing every "band homie" like they were her own.

The Legacy: She has six grandkids who call her G-Ma: six sets of eyes that look to her for that constant, unwavering love she has given us since day one.

The Fight for Her Life

Lori has been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma. The cancer has spread into her facial nerves and the mandible bone in her jaw. Because of how deep it has reached into the nerves, the cancer is inoperable.

We have exhausted every local option. Our only hope, the only path left to keep her here with us, is the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The Wall Between Lori and Her Cure

Her treatment is scheduled for February 11, but it is at a standstill. She cannot start the 30+ specialized treatments she needs unless she can relocate to Rochester for 42 days. We are fighting against the clock and a financial barrier that feels impossible to climb alone.

If we do not meet this goal, her treatment will be delayed. If it is delayed, it may not happen at all.

How You Can Carry Her

We need to raise $13,500 to give Lori a fighting chance. This isn't for "extra" comfort: it is the literal cost of her survival:

$7,500: Medical Deductible (The key to starting treatment)

$3,990: Lodging (42 nights near the clinic)

$2,010: Basic Living Expenses (The fuel, food, and parking to keep her there)

Lori Moreno has spent decades making sure everyone else had a place at the table and someone in the front row cheering them on. She has been the mother to the motherless and the home for the homeless.

She carried us. Now, we are asking you to help us carry her.

Please donate. Please share. Please help us get Mom to Mayo on time. We aren't ready to lose the woman who taught us how to love.