For Katia & in memory of Elie El Irani

Update 7/9/23

(We are incredibly blessed for everyone’s generous donations. We have reached 50% of our goal and want to thank everyone who helped us in this trying time. As of June 25th my mother is not doing well. She is not able to eat much and is very weak leaving her at 99 pounds. Unfortunately, we can not afford the medicine to keep her comfortable. Sadly there is no medical insurance or government assistance in Lebanon that can help us out with this either. She needs chemotherapy as her last chance. She is in severe pain and has hyper aggressive cancer which is making her worse and worse everyday. My mother requires 24/7 medical attention at this point after her radical cystectomy surgery. With the cost of medicine, fees for the nurse to come to the house and basic needs we are falling short. We are looking to at least raise enough money for medicine to keep her comfortable. Again, thank you all for keeping us in your prayers and offering help during this time. )

Hi, my name is Tatiana El Irani and I'm fundraising for my mother Katia and our family.

My story started when my father first moved to the USA in 1999 when I was born, he moved to make a better life for my 2 siblings my mother and me. My father made a home for us here. After 12 years we reunited with my father in August 2020 after the Beirut explosion took place and destroyed our home in Lebanon. As a family, we made the decision to start the life that my parents wanted for us in America. It was a bittersweet decision. We could finally reunite with our father after 12 years, but this meant leaving our mother in Lebanon as she could not join us.

Life finally had normalcy again, until we received tragic news from our mom back in Lebanon that she had stage 4 cervix cancer at the age of fifty-two, in March 2022. My older sister and I worked to send her money for treatment in Lebanon the entire year. We were trying every treatment and the cancer was getting worse leading her to need surgery. I was preparing myself to head back to Lebanon to be there with her during this uncertain time.

This all changed when my father unexpectedly passed away at the age of fifty-four from a heart attack on November 4th, 2022. I could no longer be there with my mother to hold her hand during the hardest part of her life and, our life after losing our father. While my mother was alone during her recovery, she encountered complications from strain on her intestines. She is now in the hospital and in need of another surgery. My older sister who is twenty-seven, and I twenty-three, are now financially responsible for my younger brother in high school, funeral expenses for my father, and a roof over our heads, all while paying for my mothers’ treatments and medicine.

2022 was truly a year of tragedy for our family. My mother is strong and wants to keep fighting this battle against cancer. Although, we are in a financial crisis and can not afford her next surgery. The doctors in Lebanon will not perform the surgery unless they receive payment upfront. With no medical insurance coverage, this is our only option left.

We cannot begin to imagine the grief of losing another parent. Please keep my mother in your thoughts and prayers. Right now, Katia needs our help, and we deeply appreciate any donations so that she may keep on fighting.

Thank you for all your help and God bless.