Hi, everyone, this is such a tough subject for me, I don’t even know where to start... My name is Marina, I am making this Go Fund Me for my little brother Juan Francisco. I am writing this with a heavy heart, and I could only wish that I never had to... As some of you may know, my brother Juanito was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 colon cancer, a very aggressive cancer, in May of 2023. Through these last few months my brother has fought so hard with dealing with many appointments and procedures. He has gone through many rounds of aggressive chemo to try to stabilize and control his cancer from spreading.

Recently, we visited his oncology surgeons to see if there was anything they could do for him. I was very hopeful and had so much faith we would get good news and that they would be able to operate on him and remove the cancer. Instead, we received devastating news and a prognosis. The doctors told us his cancer was inoperable and he had terminal cancer, and that they have exhausted all options. We were sent home and told to spend as much time with him as we could. The oncologists diagnosed him with less than 12 months, but we are all praying for a miracle to be able to spend more time with him.

If you know Juanito, or have even met him once, you would know how amazing of a person, brother, uncle, son, friend, and even stranger he is. At only 22 years young there is still so much for him to experience that he hasn’t had the opportunity to yet. Since he was a little boy, he dreamt of witnessing the Northern Lights in Alaska, savoring sushi in Japan with a view of Mount Fuji and exploring the national parks' beauty. After enduring so much pain in his journey with his cancer battle, he truly deserves to fulfill his bucket list.

I have made this Go Fund me to help make those wishes come true. Any type of support you would like to make to help my brother enjoy the rest of his life is greatly appreciated and will forever be remembered and cherished by not only him, but especially me and the rest of our family. Whether it’s a contribution, quality time, kind words, or prayers, your support will go a long way. I know that I can speak for everyone when I say that we have all been so lucky to know Juanito. I feel deeply grateful for the chance to cherish the time I have left with my brother, and I am committed to helping him experience the best rest of his life that he undeniably deserves.

Thank you all for everything and just know we both love and appreciate all of you, and we’ll do so for the rest of our lives.