Stand with Sandra

On April 10th of 2010 my mother,  brother, and I made our way to the Unites States. We started a journey that would change our lives forever. As a family we have endured so much happiness, excitement, heart break, and tragedy together; and I know that as long as we are together nobody or nothing can stop us. My mom is my rock, my whole world in one person. She has sacrificed so much for me and for my family to be where we are today. From working through the day and night to support us to wiping our tears when we would get hurt, my mom was always there for us. Family is all that matters to her. Around December of 2017 my mother reached out to me that she didn't feel quite right, so finally towards the end of January she headed to our home of Bogota, Colombia to see a doctor to make sure everything was alright. On January 29, 2018  we received devastating news that will again be something that changes my families lives forever. My mom was diagnosed with type 3 negative breast cancer, one of the more aggressive forms of breast cancer. She underwent surgery on February 26, 2018, after the surgery we were informed that my mom has to go through chemo therapy. The doctors have to go after the disease just as aggressive so they can treat it. My mom is a stay at home mom raising two very awesome and stressful young men. My dad works four jobs in their home of Monterey, CA to barely make ends meet. In this financial state my family is unable to receive any form of health insurance here in the US, so she has to stay in Colombia, where she is 3618 miles away from her sons, daughter and husband. With my mom in Bogota being treated with the disease that seems to be destroying us all, my dad is playing both parental roles.   Running the youngsters to and from soccer practice, racing to job after job, and running home to make food so they can have at least a late dinner. The medical expenses are cheaper in Bogota, but my mom still doesn't have insurance there either; so my dad is paying for everything out of pocket, from doctors appointments to surgeries. We are spending money that needs to be spent to make sure that my mom is taken care of, because she has no choice but to be okay, and that is coming from me. Starting chemo in a week will drain our pockets even more, seemingly this is going to be the most expensive part. We are not a family who asks others for much, but at this point we have no choice but to ask others for help. I need to get her story out and let the world know that we are not going to let her fight this alone. Women are fighters, and she has the BEST boxing gloves I have ever seen; so come on cancer, lets see what you got.