Strength & Hope: José’s Recovery Journey

José’s Story

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 12th, Eva, José and Luna were returning home from one of their epic walks. Suddenly Eva heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom. When she entered the room, Eva found José on the ground and complaining about numbness in his right leg. He was quickly rushed to Toronto Western where they confirmed he had suffered a stroke (brain bleed).

The road has had its challenges for José and he has overcome a decompressive craniectomy, a tracheotomy, prolonged pneumonia, underlying ventriculitis, as well as a stubborn bout of c- difficile. José and Eva have maintained their strength throughout this difficult time. We are hopeful he will continue to persist on his journey to recovery ⚡️

José is now able to smile and respond to yes and no questions with body language. We hope to give him and his family all the support they need to ensure that he makes a full recovery.

The road ahead includes comprehensive cognitive rehabilitation; speech pathology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and more. With the right health team and continued support from family and friends, we are confident that he will get back to us with his speech, mobility and beaming personality in tact

Whether you met him in his glory days at Guvernment, at Good Foot when sneaker culture was a niche club or at The Grow Op where he and Eva fed you their delicious food, José has made a lasting impression with so many people and embedded himself into many communities across Toronto.

No matter how you know him, José always makes you feel like you are the most interesting person in the room. His personality is bright, mood all the way up, and vibes are forever positive. Since becoming a “Girl Dad” his star has shone even brighter. His baby girl Luna is the light of his life and continues to be his motivation to keep fighting.

We are in the process of finding him his new “home” where he can start rehab and where we hope to witness more miracles happen on his road to recovery.

With your support, we can build on the stability that José, Eva and Luna need and deserve for this next chapter of their lives. We have a positive outlook on the journey ahead and continue to pray for clarity, strength, resilience and recovery. Thank you for all your support thus far. Any contribution will help the family pay for the costs associated with José’s long term care.

Please share his story with your network if you feel comfortable doing so.

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What your contributions will be used for:

Long term expenses:

Care for José including a personal support worker to help with his rehabilitation and daily care once he returns home and any retro fitting of the home to help support him physically.

Short term expenses:

José will be unable to work and your donations will help his family offset the loss of an additional income including monthly bills, fees, insurance and costs of living for his family.

Who I am and my relationship to José:

I am José’s sister in law and the sister of his wife Eva. I am also auntie to the bright and beautiful Luna!