In early December, our friend Raul Sanchez, owner of Cafe Suspiro in San Francisco, suffered a stroke. Luckily, his partner Heather got him to the hospital quickly, and he's expected to make a full recovery. Friends, neighbors, cafe regulars and staff (including me!) have all asked how we can help, and after speaking with Raul and Heather, I'm starting this gofundme to help them pay hospital bills, and keep my favorite coffee shop open.

The great news is that Raul is home after a week in the hospital, and in good spirits! He's staying busy with all the cafe business he can handle from home, and getting in-home physical therapy and occupational therapy that's already helping him regain mobility. Folks who've known him for a couple years remember when he had a series of mini-strokes and had to run a similar campaign. He and his doctors knew then that this kind of stroke would be a possibility, and he's been carefully managing his blood pressure and medication. Since this stroke, he's on new medication and has a new doctor. The changes are going really well so far. Unfortunately, the medical bills are significant, and even after insurance, they've left Raul and Heather about $6000 in the hole.

Cafe Suspiro is running smoothly on reduced hours with our three current baristas — myself, Morgan and Mara. Chris, who's been there since the beginning but recently left to go back to school, is stepping back in to help us cover gaps and make the occasional supply run. We're so grateful for his extra help, and the extra hours that our other jobs have given us to cover Raul's shifts. Like many small business owners, Raul always works the longest hours of any of us. His priority is always making payroll for his staff, even when it means he doesn't make as much for the hours he puts in. I've worked at plenty of companies where the opposite is true, and this is a huge part of the reason why I want to help make sure he gets to keep Cafe Suspiro open. It's a really special place, and he's one of the best people I've ever worked for. The operating costs we're short on with his absence come to about $10,000.

On a personal note, I just want to share how much this cafe, and Raul's friendship, has meant to me over the last few years. I've lived in the neighborhood since the 2000s, and I when I found Cafe Vega (you can still find the name above the door if you know where to look!), I fell in love. It was instantly my favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood. Raul was a barista there, and when Vega's owner decided to move on, he helped Raul take over the business. I remember panicking when Vega closed, and approaching with skepticism when Cafe Suspiro opened a few weeks later. What was this new place going to be like? Little did I know, it was already on its way to becoming so much more than just my favorite coffee shop. During the pandemic while I was working from home at a tech job, Cafe Suspiro became my sanity saver. I would go there every morning before starting work, and with a hot Mexican mocha, a conversation with a barista (shoutout to Sarah, Rachel and Dyl!), and a little walk through the neighborhood, I got just enough dopamine to make it through each day...until I got laid off in 2023. That year, living on severance, I had the chance to rethink my life. For years, I'd half-joked that if I didn't have student loans, I'd go back to being a barista in a heartbeat. Shortly after making that last payment, I mentioned my fantasy to Raul, and he told me all about how he'd come back to the coffee business after his own career in marketing. A lot had changed over the past two decades. He leant me his books about the latest wave of coffee, and showed me the ropes when I finally gave him a resume. Since then, he's been an enthusiastic supporter of my efforts to build out our book selection, host a seasonal reading series, and uplift local poets and authors. So far, our reading series has been a huge success, and the next one is on January 22, with Jason Bayani, Mukethe Kawinzi, Sam J. Miller and Annalee Newitz. It's only possible because of Raul.

I haven't even mentioned all the pop-ups, music, Folsom Fair events, coat and toy drive, and everything else he does for our community! Plus the countless stories I've heard from our customers about how much Raul means to them, and to the neighborhood. (He's one of the few people I know who's been here even longer than me.) But you get the idea.

So, let's make sure Raul gets those medical bills covered, and the cafe stays open so he can come back when he's ready! Thank you so much for your support, on behalf of Raul, his family, the Cafe Suspiro staff, and myself.

T. K. Rex