Hello! My name is Annie Byers. I started this GoFundMe for Agustin Figueroa, who is one of the children of my clients and friends. I met the Figueroas in late 2021. Carlos and Joanna have six children. Their only daughter, Maria is 15. Next is Reuben, he’s 12. Jacob, who has an eye impairment is 8. Jose, 7, is a CANCER SURVIVOR. Juan is 5. Agustin, the baby is now 3 years old. Agustin was RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKEMIA.

I met this beautiful family through Real Estate. At that time they decided that they wanted to get out of Newark and were looking to purchase a home in South Jersey. We found a home, but sadly after the home inspection, it was too far in need of repair, so they canceled the contract. They own a storefront in Newark which is a source of income for them, and at that time Carlos was working a full-time job.

They decided to move from NJ to Florida in search of a new opportunity and to leave behind the challenges they had in NJ and the sadness of Jose’s cancer. They had a significant amount of money saved and they managed to rent the store on a 5-year lease. This rental income was to supply income during the first few months of living in FL until Carols found a job.

Sadly, the man who rents had stopped paying rent according to the lease agreement very early into the lease. They rented a Campground spot for their RV they purchased and used their savings to purchase a virgin lot in Hernando county. They placed theit RV on the property with plans to build a permanent home. Their plan was for Carlos to get a job and begin the process of developing the land and building their home. This would have happened easily had their tenant in Newark honor his lease agreement.

Unfathomably, for the SECOND time, a parent’s worst nightmare happened to Carlos and Joanna. Their youngest, Agustin, was diagnosed with leukemia. He was hospitalized through Christmas and New Year's for treatment. He is through the worst but still has a long road to recovery. They must take Agustin to Tampa for treatments every week. While Joanna is at the hospital Carlos stays with the children, so a full-time job for Carlos is on hold.

With Carlos not being able to work and hospital bills mounting, there isn’t enough money for them to get their lot developed for them to have a livable property. They cannot continue to live in the RV on their vacant lot and most Campgrounds have limits to the size of the families renting from them. They had to move out of the RV and are temporarily living in a friend's house that is closer to Tampa. This situation is not ideal as there is just not enough room where they are staying for their active family and they need their own home.

I started this GoFundMe because I believe that they deserve to get all the help they need. They are kind and loving people who value the sanctity of the family.

Joanna is an amazing person, with the patience of a saint. She said to me; “Pray for me to have the strength and conviction that the Blessed Mother had at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified.”

My response. “Yes, I will do that and please let me start a GoFundMe Page for you.”

Three months later she allowed me to make this page.

Carlos is a hard-working man. He is a loving father and husband. He wants to be working full time and will do so once Agustin is done with his treatments.

These are very good people and have always done the right thing. I had to convince Joanna to let me start this page because I know they are candidates who can ask for assistance. They didn't cause the problems they are facing. They trusted the tenant to whom they leased their storefront. They had no control over Agustin getting leukemia.

Recently, the good news is that Carlos has found a job. This income will help them pay for the gas needed to go back and forth to the hospital and put food on the table. Carlos’ employment is limited as he still needs to be with the children while Joanna takes Agustin for treatment.

Once Agustin is done with treatment, Carlos will be able to go to full-time employment. Joanna takes care of the children and homeschooling, doctors appointments etc.

We are in the process of getting the tenant removed from the storefront to either get a new tenant or sell the property. The first step to them building their homestead is getting electricity on the property. They have an electrician willing to help them do this, which is amazing. Then they can at least live on their lot.

Whatever you can give to this fund is greatly appreciated and will be put toward medical bills and household necessities. Hopefully, we can raise enough money to get them into a better situation quickly.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this. Please share this with everyone you know.

Thank you in advance for your compassion and generosity.