Urgent News

Alejandro has passed away. 

We're deeply saddened to report that Alejandro has passed away. After fighting for several days he is now at peace, but his family is obviously grieving his loss. Alejandro passed away in the public hospital in the capital. 

His body now has to be transported nearly 3 hours to Panajachel by a licensed car certified to carry deceased bodies. 
It's very expensive and the family doesn't know how they will afford it. Plus, they are planning the funeral and paying the medical bills that Alejandro incurred during his hospitalization. A Mayan Families employee visited Alejandro's family today and they had nothing to eat. 

The family is grieving the loss of a loved one and also faced with nearly impossible financial burdens. To pay for the certified transport, the funeral, and the medical bills, the family needs $300. 

For more information on how to help Alejandro's family, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/02/alejandro-has-passed-away.html

Thank You!


Flabio is 17 years old and has kidney problems. He has been to several doctors who tell him that one of his kidneys is failing. He has an appointment on February 20 with a nefrologist in the capital and he needs $109 to go to the capital and have his appointment.
Hi Everyone,
Flabio's parents, Maria and Jose, have three children. Jose works in a supermarket and Maria stays at home to care for the family. They try their best to provide for their children, but Jose's wages have not been enough to care for the family and pay for Flabio's medical expenses. Flabio's doctor visits have strained the family's budget and they are really struggling.
Amidst Flabio's medical troubles, he still earnestly wants to stay in school. However, given his medical bills he is afraid that he may have to drop out because his family can't afford both medical bills and school payments. Flabio needs a school sponsor for 10th grade, which costs $490 for the entire year.
For more information on how to help Flabio receive school sponsorship or the medical attention he needs, please visit:
http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2012/02/flabio-has-kidney-failure-and-needs.html
Thank you!


Hi Everyone,
A very desperate situation was just posted on the Family Aid Blog today.

Maria and Jose have 8 children. They've had a hard life, unable to find consistent jobs and having to move to the coast in order to try to find work. They live in a very poor, crumbling home several hours from Panajachel. They try to take care of their large family, but it is increasingly difficult to find ways to provide for them and feed them all. One of their children is so malnourished that she was unable to walk and had to be carried everywhere.

On top of these financial difficulties, Maria and Jose have recently been hit very hard by physical illnesses. Maria has been feeling ill for months. She hardly leaves bed. She has gallstones and this causes her great pain. She is chronically malnourished and she also has an intestinal infection. But worst, and scariest, of all she has recently been diagnosed with a serious degenerative disease. She needs treatment and it will be very expensive.

Jose has a tumor on the side of his neck. It has been getting larger and larger, and doctors tell him it needs to be removed immediately. However, due to the size and location of the tumor it is exremely risky to remove it. The surgery only has a 50% survive rate. If Jose does survive the surgery, there is a further risk that he may lose his voice and/or neck movements. Jose has to sign legal documentation saying that his family won't press charges against the surgeon in case of any problem. It's a scary place to be, but Jose has bravely told us he knows he needs to have the surgery in order to take care of his family.

Jose and Maria are both in need of extensive operations and treatment. They could barely take care of their 8 children before, and now adding these health issues makes their troubles seem insurmountable. Jose and Maria are both facing life-threatening illnesses and they are, understandably, afraid. They have no one else to turn to and have come to us desperate for help. 

We are asking for an initial $300 to pay for their beginning consults, tests, treatments, and to prepare them for surgery. They will need ongoing help as they have and recover from their surgeries. We will also use part of this money to buy food for this malnourished family.

For more information on how to help this family, please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/

Thank you!