Hi, I’m David and I live in New York. I’m reaching out on behalf of my sister Karen who lives in Guatemala and is a devoted single mother of two beautiful children 12-year old Valentina and 3-year old Leonard. Karen has been fighting an incredibly hard battle with Stage II Cervical Cancer since October 2024. She lives in Guatemala, where access to timely and effective healthcare is deeply limited.
After her diagnosis, doctors removed one of her ovaries and moved the other to protect it during radiation. Unfortunately, her tumor was too large to remove without risking excessive bleeding. She’s since completed an intense round of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but the pain has not gone away. She often can’t walk, eat, or even sit upright without discomfort. It took months to get the right scans delayed by the slow public healthcare system only to find out the cancer has spread.
Now, she’s facing an even stronger round of chemotherapy with harsher side effects, including hair loss and debilitating fatigue.
Through it all, she’s remained strong for her kids, for herself, and for our family. But strength alone doesn’t pay for medicine, treatment, or childcare.
She doesn’t have health insurance. So far she’s been relying on a mix of public and private care for urgent needs, and medications to manage side effects are both expensive and increasingly hard to find in Guatemala. Since she hasn’t been able to work for months, my parents are taking care of Valentina and Leonardo while she battles through the worst of the treatment.
We are raising funds to:
Access Immunotherapy, a promising next step that’s scarcely available in Guatemala
Cover the cost of a home nurse and medications
Support basic expenses for Valentina and Leonardo, who miss their mom dearly and need stability while she recovers
Despite the uncertainty, my sister still finds ways to smile. She’s tough and deeply hopeful that she can beat this illness and return to the life she was building for her children.
If you’re able to help us bring comfort, treatment, and hope back into her life, we would be forever grateful. Any amount—big or small—will make a difference.
Thank you for standing with our family.
