Hi, Patrick O'Heffernan here, Editor of Lakeside News in Ajijic, Mexico. I am raising funds for one of our reporters, 27-year-old Sofia Medles, who was admitted to the hospital last weekend with anemia and then went into a coma. We now know she has Anemia hemolítica autoinmune, an illness where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys red blood cells, causing anemia. She has insurance (all our reporters have it), but it doesn't cover prescriptions, outpatient services, ambulance, travel, and other expenses. She has a 6-year-old daughter. Her husband is struggling to make the medical bills now and has learned that there will be more. So the community is trying to raise the money for him - that is what Mexican communities do. As Expats who volunteer with the newspaper, we are pitching in. While what we are asking for is not much in dollars, it is a lifeline in Mexico. We want Sophia back. We love her.

