Lorna's Recovery Journey

Updates! It's been much too long to update everyone on our girl's progress. We are seeing changes everyday for the better. She will have her six months Cath this Thursday to verify there's no rejection still. It's been a long road so far recovering her daily. She's had a surgery for a feed tube because she still has an oral aversion from intubation. She doesn't eat anything right now so her tube feeds are her only source of nourishment. She gets those four times a day. She has faced an uphill battle going from vomiting multiple times a day to keeping the majority of her feeds down. We have had more post op clinic visits than I can count and weren't fully discharged until late March. She requires meds twice daily without fail, labs, out of town follow-up constant rehab several times a week to meet her physical milestones, and I'm sure there's a few I'm forgetting. The difficulty I've found in finding work from home coupled with where I need to be for her in these early stages of healing has crippled us financially. We have an application with the social security administration but have yet to receive help there as of yet. We've been turned down for food stamps on multiple occasions despite providing all necessary information. We don't make enough to not qualify by far. That said, monthly we're facing food instability and housing instability. We cannot afford to move. We are asking for any assistance of any sort. There's no donation too small. I have a couple interviews pending and God willing I can start helping financially in our home again. The current work load I have is an unpaid venture. On a personal note, given the aforementioned, let me just say I'm exhausted. My parents are deceased and our village is very small. We have one no doubt but they are hard working people with not much to give themselves. Martin and I both came from very humble beginnings and could never have prepared ourselves for what we have faced. We believe in the power of prayer and we know we will get through this together. There's no words for our gratitude for being able to hold our baby again, to bring her home, to smell her. I just want to be able to do so without worrying when our lights will be cut or if we will face eviction...or doing all of that hungry. This is raw and maybe less unfiltered than what's comfortable for most. It also doesn't encompass anything that we already went through while she awaited transplant. In every struggle there is beauty and we find it in everyday. The weight is heavy. Please share and pray for us all. Blessings

Hello friends! My name is Rachel Alvarez and I am starting this campaign following a year long battle following my daughter's heart transplant. She was granted her hero heart on December 26, 2024 and prior to that underwent lifesaving LVAD surgery and life support on April. We have been separated as a family with me in charity housing in Austin while my husband and three other children tried to maintain life in San Antonio. We have faced multiple times where our housing has been threatened despite living extremely modestly throughout this time. Our family needs help in rebuilding our lives and I will be tied to weekly appointments and therapies for at least the next six months making it very difficult to earn an income. She is on a feeding tube and many medications making daycare impossible at this time. We are actively seeking charity in other avenues trying to save as much as possible but often find ourselves short on rent and without food almost entirely. We appreciate any donations of any amount and with the uncertainty of Medicaid we really need the help.

We love and appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes on her behalf. We have made it this far, please help us get her through.