Hello,
My name is Orlando Monrroy
I write today asking for help.  I have considered many things over the course of the last month and half in regards to the current situation that my family and most importantly my brother has been going thru.  It led me to making the decision to write this.

On Friday Dec 4th my brother, Antonio Rivera, was informed that at the age of 38 he was being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer with metastasis to both his liver and lungs.  My brother is a good man, he cared for others and was always quick to put a smile on anyones face, family or stranger he treated everyone the same.  He loved spending time with his family and friends and was the type of person who would give you the shirt off his back or share a meal without a second thought.  He has a big heart and a love for art that he shared with the world thru his talents of tattooing and sketching.  He once had a dream to open a tatoo parlor of his own to bring joy to people but now it seems that dream is cut short.  The world will be less beautiful without his art or his talent.

Once he was well enough to be brought home we brought him to our mothers house so that she could oversee his care.  We began right away taking the necessary steps to ensure that he got the medical attention he needed and attempt to see how we could prolong his time left.  Time he desperately wanted to spend time with family and friends, to reconnect with his estranged children, and of course to say goodbye.  2 weeks after speaking with oncologists and other doctors he developed blood clots in his legs which traveled upwards into his lungs and landed him back into the hospital.  It was at this time that we were told that the disease had progressed very quickly and his body was too weak to undergo any treatment, his estimated survival was less than 3 months.  Forgoing chemotherapy we were steered instead towards hospice care and a regimen of pain management in order to keep him comfortable and wait for the inevitable end.  We are now a further two weeks from that day and it is with a heavy heart that I say he has taken a turn for the worst, we expect he is to leave us any day now.

From diagnosis to today has been 6 weeks.  As horrible as this situation has been or can be for any family it has been especially nightmarish for us due to the rapid progression that the disease has taken him from us.  My brother is not a well off man and being as young as he is never foresaw falling ill like this and as such never thought about life insurance and savings, thinking instead he would be around for years to come.  With no finances to assist with end of life planning or affairs the burden has fallen to us, the family.  The strain both emotionally and financially has taken its toll on our parents and that is why I make this plea.  A mother should never have to bury her child, that is just not the way things should be, but if she must, should she not be afforded the chance to do it the right way?  To allow his family and friends to say goodbye in a communal setting so as to share the grief and celebrate the life of a great man who brought joy and happiness to us. 

We are asking for donations to assist with funeral arrangements and any other expenses that may arise. Whatever anyone is able to give will be greatly appreciated by myself and of course the entire family and would allow us the chance to be at peace.