I never thought I would have to be preparing for my Grandmother's funeral, but yet here we are. On April 9th, my Grandmother was admitted into UCI Medical with severe stomach pain, which we all found concerning as she was never one to complain about pain or discomfort in my 25 years of knowing her. Upon the doctors performing an ultrasound on her, they discovered multiple blood clots in her intestines, which we were told would require a super risky surgery given her age (86) and her weak organs. The doctors prepared us for the worst-case scenario, but we were hopeful as my Grandma seemed strong, eager to move forward with the surgery, and be able to return to her loved ones. Post-surgery, the doctors were optimistic as she made it out of surgery with minimal roadblocks other than 73 centimeters of dead intestine. With 30+ loved ones crammed in her hospital room, we knew she could feel the love and support from all of us.

On April 14th, things took a turn for the worse as they had to put her on a breathing tube and had to perform another surgery to remove more blood clots and another 37 centimeters of her intestine. On April 18th, the doctors told us her lungs and kidneys were showing signs of failure. On April 20th, her heart was running out of time. My mother, aunts, and uncles have never felt so powerless. All they could do is sit there and watch God bring another Angel home as on April 22nd at 10:30 PM, she made it home to her loved ones, just not here but in Heaven. The only silver lining that we can see in this is she is no longer suffering and she was taken to Heaven just hours before my aunt's birthday who also passed away not too long ago back in Mexico. As much as we loved our Grandma, clearly my aunt loved her just a bit more and was waiting for her on the other side of the bridge to celebrate her birthday together.

My Grandmother leaves behind her husband of 73 years of marriage (so close to their 75-year anniversary), 6 kids here in the United States, and 6 kids back in Mexico, along with MULTIPLE grandkids, great-grandkids, and even some great-great-grandkids. As powerless as we felt, my family back in Mexico felt even more powerless not being able to be at her bedside. Our goal is to send her back to Mexico so our family there can see her one last time before being buried in our family graveyard. Thank you in advance for any donations, prayers, and thoughts you send our way. My family will be eternally grateful for your kind actions!