<div><strong>In Memory of Ruben</strong> ❤️
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>When we started this GoFundMe, we never imagined we would have to change it to this.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This was supposed to be about helping my brother, Ruben, fight Stage 4 cancer. He didn't even want us to make a GoFundMe in the first place. He was worried people would think he was looking for sympathy. He hated asking for help. Ruben was the kind of person who would give everything he had to someone else before ever asking for anything himself.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We truly thought we were raising money to help him get through his surgeries, his hospital stays, his treatments, and whatever came next.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We didn't know there wouldn't be a next chapter.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We lost my brother.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>And now we're trying to figure out what life looks like without him while also dealing with all the things that come after someone dies that nobody really prepares you for.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>There are still medical bills from everything he went through. There are funeral and memorial expenses. There are unexpected costs that seem to keep appearing. And there is the reality of trying to take care of all of that while our family is grieving and trying to process the fact that Ruben isn't coming home.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That’s the strange and heartbreaking part of losing someone. You are grieving a person you love, all while simultaneously having to make phone calls, fill out paperwork, make arrangements, figure out bills, and deal with decisions you never expected to have to make.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>And honestly, we're exhausted.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Ruben deserved so much more time.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He loved his music community. He loved putting on shows, supporting bands, bringing people together, and creating a space where people could simply come together and have a good time. He was still talking about shows. He was still thinking about Fest Fest 5. Even when he should have been resting, he was thinking about the next thing.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That's Ruben.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He was always ready for the next thing. 
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He was funny. He had a huge personality and an even bigger heart. He cared deeply about his people. And whether you knew him for years or crossed paths with him through the music scene, he had a way of leaving an impression.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>So this fundraiser is no longer about helping Ruben beat cancer. 
</div>
<div>It's about helping us take care of what he left behind while we try to learn how to live with what he didn't get to finish. Most have reached out asking us how they can help and what they can do for our family, and this is one way we could use the help.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you can donate, thank you. Truly.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you can't, please don't feel bad. Share this page. Tell someone about Ruben. Leave a memory. Listen to a song that reminds you of him. Go to a show. Support a local band. Do something that feels like him.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Because that's what we want to remember.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Not just the cancer.
</div>
<div>Not just the hospital rooms.
</div>
<div>Not just the bills.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Ruben.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>His music. His people. His laugh. His personality. His heart. The life he lived and the people he brought together along the way.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for loving our brother.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for showing up for him when he was here.
</div>
<div>And thank you for continuing to show up for our family now that he isn't.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We miss you, Ruben. More than words can ever explain.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Forever our brother. Forever our friend. Forever part of this community. ❤️</strong>
</div>

Ally Lara

Alyssa Fenoglio

Hayden and Reba Tidwell

Rudy Valverde

Keontay Bluford

Anonymous

Transplants Brewing

Romero Benavidez

Natalie Salcedo

Claudia Salazar

Viviana Salazar

Eddy Burgos

Blair McKinley

Oscar Salazar

Massiel Zetino

Calah Reyes

In Memory of Ruben: His Music, His Love, His Legacy

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

In Memory of Ruben: His Music, His Love, His Legacy

Still $2,515 to go. Help us build momentum.