HI, my name is Kalina, and I am asking you to listen to this story. It may hit home for some and might not make an impact at all for others, but for me and my family, it's changed our lives. 35 years ago, two kids met, fell in love, dated for two years. First love, first kiss, first everything....... they broke up after 2 years and had no relationship or contact for 30 years to the date. Not a day went by that one or the other didn't talk or think, or look for each other. On many occasions, my sister made me look for Roberto or stalk his parents' home, but they had no contact. Life went by marriages ,kids life. 30 years out of know were went by. God brought them back together 30 years to the date of their meeting.It was like two worlds collided. They had coffee one day, Roberto says Stay she waited for ever for him, she said yes 4 weeks later they were married. they started to live and make up for lost time, they travelled to so many different places and enjoyed each other , family, and just lived the life. they had been cheated from in their minds...then one day from everything changed. From everything to nothing they had sold there homes and bought a home together that they could enjoy. bringing their lives finally together with Roberto's kids and other family.. Roberto had a stroke, went into a coma for over 5 weeks with 1% chance of coming out of it, he had gone septic and his intestines exploded, and he had a permanent ostomy. He was now on permanent kidney failure. Daylis' life changed... 4 different medical professionals told my sister that she should consider what he would want and let him go, she wasn't having that, she was clear he was going home with her or in a body bag, but she wasn't pulling any plug.. Roberto spent almost 9 months in the hospital with lina on the floor by his side. She wouldn't leave him.. Unfortunately, her sacrifice for her first love, they lost their home, their car, their savings and their response was that they had each other. Roberto did come home, got better slowly not fully but he was walking exercises didn't get everything back but 75%.. several years went by, in those years lina

and roberto went from being active and living a full life to full time bed care around the clock..."Lina is dedicated to caring for Roberto, especially since there are no financial services to support them. She prioritizes his well-being over her own, even taking the initiative to learn how to provide home dialysis for him. This was crucial, as Roberto struggled with the idea of going to the hospital for long-term treatments. Her commitment shows the depth of her love and the lengths she’s willing to go to ensure he receives the care he needs at home.is so Roberto didnt have to have the drama of going to the hospital 4x aweek, he now was doing daylsis at home and she stopped working to take full time care of him with him still able to as much as he could on his own.. a couple years later,. Just as they were beginning to find a new routine with their limitations, tragedy struck. Only days after the death of her mother, Roberto caught an infection that he didn’t tell her about. He didn't want to add to her pain, as she was already dealing with the loss of her mom. One night, while she was setting up the dialysis machine, she heard a scream from downstairs.

I forgot to mention that after they lost their home, they moved into the basement apartment of my husband and me, allowing them to regain some dignity while still managing his dialysis at home. So, back to that night—she screamed; Roberto had gone into a seizure. He had experienced several seizures over the years since his first stroke, but this time it wouldn’t stop. We called 911, and paramedics took him to the hospital with a status epilepticus diagnosis.

About six hours later, he woke up but had no idea who he was or who she was. She was a mess but still believed he would be fine. Roberto told her he wouldn't leave her, insisting that it took 30 years for them to find each other, and they needed more time together.

He gradually came around, and after a week, he was feeling better but still not himself. Then another seizure occurred, leading to a coma that lasted several weeks. This time, it took the best of him. When he finally came out of the coma, he had spent six months in the hospital. Two weeks before his discharge, he had a stroke that left him weak and numb on his right side, unable to speak, eat properly, or even stand or walk.

Roberto came home eventually, but he was now homebound, requiring round-the-clock care. He receives help from personal support workers (PSWs) for three hours a day, for which my sister is extremely grateful. The PSWs assigned to Roberto are like family and do as much as they can within their capacity. The rest of the time, Roberto is washed, fed, and cared for by my sister.

I have never seen such a deep love between them; he loves her like a child loves their favorite toy. However, I didn’t realize until now—and many others might not realize either—that Roberto doesn’t have extended health care or benefits. He isn’t on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and doesn’t qualify for it, not because he makes a lot of money, but because he has a pension that they both rely on since she stays home to care for him. There is no additional funding.

Many people believe the government provides financial support, but in reality, caregivers often get the short end of the stick. They perform a full-time job without any income. Although the government pays a small percentage, the rest is borne by Roberto and Lina. On top of that, they face monthly costs for medical equipment rentals, ostomy supplies, and day-to-day living expenses that have now drastically altered their lives.

I felt compelled to write this to highlight the true sacrifices made by a loving wife and caregiver. Her only goal is to keep him at home to live whatever life he has with comfort and dignity. What happened to him is just that—a medical condition, not who he is. Roberto is an amazing friend, brother, brother-in-law, father, uncle, and husband. He deserves to live a life filled with love and safety.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. We appreciate your help.