Help Maria Antunez help her aunt...
Donation protected
My name is Maria Antunez, originally from Uruguay, living in Miami, FL with my family. Many of you know me from the world of opera, or from St. Hugh Catholic Church, where my husband and I serve as cantors for the Sunday morning Masses.
Recently and after a long period of tests and many doctors, my dearest aunt Myriam Barboza, who lives in Uruguay, was diagnosed with ALS.
She is a beautiful, 60 year old woman who has fought hard all her life for workers' rights. In fact, she just finished a couple of years ago building her and so many other people's houses, in a cooperative effort of many workers, a process that took many years of fundraising and hard work.
She now has fulfilled the dream of having her own modest place, but shortly after moving in she started to not feel well. On top of that she has the custody of her only grandson, a complicated situation, but this boy gives her a reason to smile and keep being strong.
The family is doing as much as possible to help her, but under this type of situation they also suffer greatly and are in need of support. My cousin is now only able to work half time in order to take care of her mother, but she needs to keep her business going. We are all having a very hard time accepting this illness as my aunt has always been the strong one. Thank God and admirably she doesn’t lose her smile.
At this point she is not able to use either of her arms or hands, but still walks and talks even though she shows difficulty, and is now in need of a breathing machine. The illness is advancing very quickly.
She is now under medical leave but retirement will likely happen very soon, and Uruguay has one of the highest costs of living in South America. Help from the government, if granted, is not enough in these cases for everything that ALS entails. Not enough to cover the basics, much less the equipment that would help her have a better quality of life as well as the home nursing services that she already needs.
Please consider helping us to care for her and provide for her as much as possible during this very difficult trial. Here are some of the most pressing needs we are facing:
Bipap breathing machine with the specifics for ALS: $1,800
Power wheelchair also adapted for MLS patients: $5,500
Nursing Care: $600/month for 4 hours/day, 5 days/week
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROSITY and for opening your hearts! GOD BLESS YOU!
Maria Antunez
UPDATE: For more information on what ALS is, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpYFt4jkIDw
Recently and after a long period of tests and many doctors, my dearest aunt Myriam Barboza, who lives in Uruguay, was diagnosed with ALS.
She is a beautiful, 60 year old woman who has fought hard all her life for workers' rights. In fact, she just finished a couple of years ago building her and so many other people's houses, in a cooperative effort of many workers, a process that took many years of fundraising and hard work.
She now has fulfilled the dream of having her own modest place, but shortly after moving in she started to not feel well. On top of that she has the custody of her only grandson, a complicated situation, but this boy gives her a reason to smile and keep being strong.
The family is doing as much as possible to help her, but under this type of situation they also suffer greatly and are in need of support. My cousin is now only able to work half time in order to take care of her mother, but she needs to keep her business going. We are all having a very hard time accepting this illness as my aunt has always been the strong one. Thank God and admirably she doesn’t lose her smile.
At this point she is not able to use either of her arms or hands, but still walks and talks even though she shows difficulty, and is now in need of a breathing machine. The illness is advancing very quickly.
She is now under medical leave but retirement will likely happen very soon, and Uruguay has one of the highest costs of living in South America. Help from the government, if granted, is not enough in these cases for everything that ALS entails. Not enough to cover the basics, much less the equipment that would help her have a better quality of life as well as the home nursing services that she already needs.
Please consider helping us to care for her and provide for her as much as possible during this very difficult trial. Here are some of the most pressing needs we are facing:
Bipap breathing machine with the specifics for ALS: $1,800
Power wheelchair also adapted for MLS patients: $5,500
Nursing Care: $600/month for 4 hours/day, 5 days/week
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROSITY and for opening your hearts! GOD BLESS YOU!
Maria Antunez
UPDATE: For more information on what ALS is, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpYFt4jkIDw
Organizer and beneficiary
Karen Stanford Bonvecchio
Organizer
Miami, FL
Maria Antunez
Beneficiary