Support Valari Garcia’s Recovery Journey

Dear friends and family.

As you probably know, I do an annual fundraise for cancer research. Today, however, I have a different cancer story. I am making a personal plea simply to help someone I know and love, who is suffering immensely.

Valari Garcia and her husband Lenny have worked with me for nearly 20 years, covering multiple self-storage facilities as managers. They have been outstanding employees and are exceptional human beings. They are my friends. Shortly after Lenny retired and about two years ago, Valari was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. The tumor was literally choking her. At first she was told there was not much that could be done, but she found a doctor who believed it could be treated successfully. That began a journey filled with frequent visits from San Luis Obispo to the City of Hope in Los Angeles for many months of radiation and chemo therapy. With that treatment and the steadfast support of her family and their service dog, Miles, Valari beat the odds and was pronounced ‘cancer free’. It was miraculous and literally the gift of life. It was also a testament to her caregivers, Valari’s strength, Lenny’s support and their faith. "Lenny has been great and I frankly don't know what I would do without him. He's such a good guy and our little Miles acts as our support dog." As you can imagine, this journey also took its toll on them physically, emotionally and financially.

As Valari regained strength, she was preparing to return to work and get back to “living”. A few weeks ago, the doctors discovered a tumor at the back of her brain and she underwent surgery to remove it. As a consequence, she is paralyzed from the waist down, at least temporarily, and possibly permanently. The doctors just don’t know what is happening. The couple's faith and love for each other have been their foundation, but the road ahead is uncertain. Valari continues to pray for improvement, holding onto hope that her condition will change for the better. "It's been such a difficult journey and we hope nobody we know has to experience such difficulties. It's so hard."

The repeated trips to the City of Hope in Los Angeles, hotel stays and equipment needed for Valari's continued care are no longer covered by insurance. Neither Valari nor Lenny is working right now, have nearly exhausted their savings and other insurance benefits, and are relying solely on social security funds to survive. As someone who has known Valari for nearly 20 years through her dedicated work at SuperStorage, loyal nature and through her friendship, I am making this appeal – can you please make a gift of hope? Mina and I will kick start this effort and will match the first $5,000 in donations. All funds raised through this GoFundMe will go directly to Valari and Lenny to help them survive. Our goal is to relieve some of this financial burden so she can focus on what matters most—her health and mental well-being. Thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and compassion. Any donation, no matter the size, makes a massive difference in their journey. Please share this fundraiser with your friends, family and social networks.

Thank you and be well.

John R. McGrath, Jr.