Today I write this with a very heavy heart to ask for help for my brother.

My brother’s name is Víctor Manuel, but to us, he has always been “Kevin.” From the moment he was born, he filled our lives with joy. He has always been witty, fun, and loved spending time with us, his older siblings. He is one of those people whose mere presence makes everything feel brighter.

When I turned 15, he was my chambelán (escort) for my quinceañera. We even made a song about his big eyes when he was little. These are memories I will always carry with me, because Kevin has always been a light in our family.

As a child, he was very mischievous. Many times he didn’t want to sleep because he wanted to keep watching TV, and I would go get him in the middle of the night and sit with him to watch it. He has always loved dogs, though they would often get lost or not come back—but he never stopped loving them.

What has always defined Kevin, though, is his enormous heart, especially towards our mom. He always said that when he grew up, he would give her a better life and buy her everything she wanted. On every important occasion, he tried to give her something, even if it was small. Many times, he would give up things for himself just to give them to our mom. That is the kind of person my brother is.

Today, our family is going through one of the hardest moments of our lives. Kevin, at only 17 years old, has been diagnosed with very advanced cancer that has severely affected his body. Everything has happened so fast, and it is incredibly hard to accept that someone so young, with such a noble heart and so many dreams, is going through this.

Life is being very unfair to him and to us. We know the void he would leave in our lives would be impossible to fill.

We are trying to give him the best possible care and be by his side through this process, but the medical expenses, tests, medications, and care are very difficult for our family to cover.

That is why we are asking for help from the bottom of my heart. Any support, no matter how small, means the world to us. it would also help us greatly if you could share this message so more people can know kevin’s story.

Thank you, Maribella.