Hi ya'll my name is Papucho,

Recently my dad was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia or ALL for short. It was a shock to our family to see him be diagnosed with ALL, but despite the circumstances he's been so strong and optimistic. I love him so much, he's one of the kindest men I've ever met in my life. When someone needs help, regardless of if he's exhausted he makes the effort to still go out of his way to do the right thing. I've learned so much from someone so selfless, so in his time of need I want to do anything I can to help HIM.

It's been about two weeks since he's been admitted to the hospital to be monitored and treated. I haven't, nor any family has been able to come visit him to show love since his immune system is so vulnerable. My birthday has passed and I wasn't able to see him and even Thanksgiving is here and we can't celebrate it with him as a family at the table. The only person allowed to keep him company has been my mom and she's been making the most effort to be there every moment she can. It's been such an emotional turmoil for her to be separated from her best friend she's used to seeing everyday. It's a lot on her heart to say the least.

As of now he's undergoing chemotherapy and has had to claim disability from work. It could be 8 months to a year of him being out of work and his medical bills have only been accumulating. This doesn't even include all his outside expenses he has to manage funding as well without falling behind. Even the conversation of having to sell our home has come up with him being out of work. There's a lot for him to keep up with and the stress of finances to survive in life is not what anyone should have to undergo while trying to recover from cancer.

Even on the topic of stress I truly do believe this was the result of it. My dad has always had a lot on his plate in his life. From having to teach himself how to be a man in a world that didn't provide a father to guide him, to having to learn how to be a father himself in order to raise me. What was always a reoccurring responsibility had to have been work. He just completed 20 years of service with his Home Depot family. My dad is always dedicated towards putting his all into any projects he would start whether it was at work or at home. It pained me to know he would go so many days with lack of sleep in order to get the bills paid every week. Even the work stress would follow him home and be on his mind that it's probably like he really never mentally clocked out of it.

You truly don't know what you have until it's gone. That's how this experience has been. An eye opener on health, the presence of my dad in our lives, and having to think of a reality in which he couldn't be in it. I love him so dearly and want to do anything it is I can to keep him in our lives. So in this time of need that means asking for kindness and help from others to show that he's loved and wanted in this world.

Funds donated would contribute towards covering his medical expenses and expenses he's accumulated from being out of work. Any help would truly mean the most to our family in his time of need. On top of this gofundme, I'll be creating benefit shows to raise funds throughout the city of Chicago and to raise awareness of leukemia.

I'll be back to periodically update you on how he's doing and when he's finally home from the hospital.