October 23, 2025

My name is Richard Allinger, COL (Ret), US ARMY.

I am writing this request for my good friend, the lovely Natalia. She is 28 years old and lives in Bogota, Colombia. In February, she was diagnosed with bladder cancer. As you may know, that is an extremely young age for female bladder cancer. The average age is 55 years old. The malady is curable with excellent survival rates if treated early. Due to the embargos and other geopolitical events, the public health care system is not functioning well. She has been in and out of appointments for nearly 10 months with no progress.

Natalia is scared. She is in constant pain. She does not want to give up. But, the public medical options are not at all promising.

Now for the good news. The cost of private surgery, aftercare, chemo, radiation, etc., is only about $5,000 USD, a fraction of the cost in the USA. I am pleading with all those that see this to contribute any amount you can to help my friend. I know times are hard for all of us right now, so anything helps. I plan to contribute about $1,000 of my own dollars to the fund.

Let’s come together and help this young woman have a long and healthy life, something most of us take for granted.

I thank you in advance for your support. I know Natalia will be more than grateful.