Maria’s Healing & Recovery Fund

It has been said that the true test of a community's strength is demonstrated when one of its members faces a crisis, is in need of assistance and how their community responds.

On June 26, 2018, a beloved friend, sister, and member of her community, Maria Lugo-Valadez, was almost taken from us. 

Maria is known amongst her family, friends, and in her community as a selfless individual. She is a community servant and leader, participating over the years in several community and charitable organizations by raising funds and awareness of various causes by donating her time and resources. She is known for her positive and caring attitude towards those she comes into contact with. Those who know her personally are aware that she is always willing to help a friend in need and never meets a stranger. 

A medical diagnosis became nearly fatal due to her symptoms being consistent with a simple medical complaint yet turned out to be a dangerous case of a ruptured appendix gone undetected and untreated for too long resulting in sepsis.

Maria ended up in the emergency room in septic condition that led to her being admitted into ICU. Her condition was so severe that the doctors told us that she would have to be in the hospital for at least 6 weeks in order for them to treat her condition before surgery could be performed safely.

Thanks to the grace of God, the many prayers of friends and family, the skill of her doctors and the marvels of modern technology & medicine, Maria was able to leave the hospital after only 10 days with continued  IV antibiotic treatment at home for the next several weeks. 

Just as we thought things were on the mend and she was out of danger, only 5 days after she completed her antibiotic treatments at home, she was back in the emergency room and has been readmitted. As of today, she has been in the hospital for 9 days as the doctors are working to treat the complications that have arisen and currently we don't know how much longer she will have to be in the hospital.

Though she has some protection coverage in place to help during a disability, it's not nearly enough to cover the out of pocket costs of medications, doctors visits, diagnostic treatments, hospital bills and everyday living expenses for herself and children.  She is in need of our assistance since Maria is self-employed and unable to work at this time. Due to the high cost of individual health insurance, she was without major medical insurance to cover unexpected medical catastrophes. Medical expenses from last month alone are already over $140k.

We are asking that those who are a part of Maria's community to donate what they can to help relieve some of the financial stress during this challenging time for her and her family. By doing so, it will allow her to focus on healing and getting back to good health which will take quite some time considering the trauma her body has sustained and still is going through. She has been dealing with this ordeal with a positive mental attitude and her signature smile every step of the way & we believe this is a key factor in her recovery. 

By rallying around Maria, we collectively show her how much she means to us and how truly strong and loving the community she is a part of really is.  Please share with your network and get the word out to help her by using this link: gofundme.com/maria-needs-our-help-to-recover

If you’d like to donate but don't use credit/debit cards, donations can be sent via the following:

CashApp: $MariaLugoValadez
Venmo: @maria-lugo-5
PayPal: [email redacted]

Any amount helps,  no donation is too small. 

We thank you in advance for helping Maria!

Message from Maria:

This has been a most humbling experience as I've had to rely on others to help me with even the most basic living functions yet it has taught me that there is strength in asking for help when needed. It has been heartwarming to receive all of the support, love and well wishes from my family and friends since the beginning of this ordeal.

I want to give back and pay it forward by sharing what I've learned so far during this ordeal so please read and share:

Women especially need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of appendicitis and a ruptured appendix because they are very complicated and different than in men and get misdiagnosed way too often.  I want to share the link below in an effort to prevent anyone from having to experience what I am going through.

https://www.curejoy.com/content/symptoms-of-appendicitis-in-women/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sepsis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351214

Learn the signs of Sepsis and save a life:

www.sepsis.org

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and assistance.