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Maria Jimenez Cancer & House Fund

***NOTE: Maria Jiménez's cancer fund first created on 1/28/2018 raised $11,555 and paid off medical bills (including four MD Anderson Cancer Center emergency room visits, not completely covered by insurance). After Maria's SECOND cancer diagnosis a year later, her GoFundMe restarted on 1/30/2019. For an accurate account of funds raised in 2019, please subtract $11,555 from the total reflected above. Thank you kindly for your help and generous donation! Please "share"!♥ ***

The Houston Chronicle
Fundraiser seeks help for prominent Houston civil rights activist’s cancer treatment

Maria Jiménez, a long-time human rights, social justice, and immigrant rights advocate, is now waging a SECOND battle against cancer. In 2018, she completed cancer treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) at MD Anderson for Stage Four Primary Peritoneal Cancer (PPC), a rare cancer that develops most commonly in women. 

Recently, Maria suffered from fluid in her lungs and after extensive medical tests, she was notified by MD Anderson on Jan. 30, 2019, that cancer has returned to her lung and esophagus. She begins chemotherapy for a second time next week (Feb. 2019), and she will need our help. Thanks to everyone's donations last year ($11,555), we were able to cover her medical bills (which included four trips to MD Anderson's emergency room).

Maria is now 68-years-old and only works part-time. Please help her by donating to help cover her costly medical bills.

Initially, I had hoped to raise funds for her medical bills and rebuild her house (several people promised to help with her house last year, but failed to do so). She currently rents an apartment, but it is located on the third floor and it will be extremely difficult for her to climb stairs once chemotherapy once again weakens her body.

The most important thing now is to help lift the financial burden as she wages the fight of her life for a second time. Please, please donate -- and spread the word -- so, together, we may help our dear friend, Maria Jimenez.

For over five decades, Maria has selflessly given her life in service to our community, and she needs our help to cover medical and living expenses. Her home is also in badly need of repairs with no electricity (wiring bad), mold, and an unsustainable structure, so she is forced to rent a third-floor apartment. A construction company's inspection report found her house unstable, warning the walls would collapse with the weight of a new roof. A complete tear-down and rebuild is needed.

Many may be unaware that Maria was highly instrumental in advocating with ARCA (a group she helped to found) for the successful legalization of over 350,000 late amnesty cases related to President Reagan's 1986 IRCA law. On Mother's Day in 1996, Maria was featured in a feminist conference along with Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, and Mililani Trask. Houston Mayor Annise Parker awarded Maria the "Community Activist" award in 2010 for pioneering efforts for social justice.

PLEASE HELP SUPPORT MARIA JIMENEZ WITH A STRONG DEMONSTRATION OF COMMUNITY LOVE AND APPRECIATION FOR HER VALIANT SERVICE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! ♥♥♥

The Houston Chronicle
Fundraiser seeks help for prominent Houston civil rights activist’s cancer treatment
A longtime Houston activist who spent decades championing the rights of women, minorities and immigrants is now fighting a battle against cancer, prompting community supporters to open a GoFundMe account to raise funds for her medical treatment.

Houston History Magazine
A Life of Activism: Maria Jimenez

Houston Mayor's Hispanic Heritage Awards 2010 Honorees
Community Activist: Maria Jimenez
http://www.houstontx.gov/specialevents/hispanicheritage2010.html

Maria Jimenez has been a strong voice and activist in social justice issues for the past 39 years. She began by organizing border communities in redressing human and civil rights violations in enforcement and immigration laws. She developed human rights monitoring and documentation methods and helped write several human rights reports on abuse of authority and violations of rights in the enforcement of border policies and immigration laws. Maria is a pioneer in her efforts for social justice, currently as part of the Central American Resource Center and as a Visiting Lecturer for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE:
María Jiménez: Por la justicia social
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Mar-a-Jim-nez-1542902.php
ARCA Houston Chapter: http://www.geocities.ws/Athens/Troy/2738/

After battle, amnesty plan makes immigrants legal
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/After-battle-amnesty-plan-makes-immigrants-legal-2072206.php

Petra Leaders for Justice: 100 Heroes 25 Years 1989-2015
http://petrafoundation.org/fellows/maria-jimenez/index.html
"We uphold the basic human rights of all persons, and though we work under difficult conditions, we work with a sense of hope that we are building a more fair and just society." —Maria Jimenez, 2010

Feminist Family Values Forum: 
Miliani Trask, Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, María Jiménez
http://gift-economy.com/feminist-family-values-forum/

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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $60 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Anna Núñez
Organizer
Houston, TX
Maria Jimenez
Beneficiary

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