Hello friends and family!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, we really appreciate it. My mother has taught me and my siblings many valuable and fundamental life lessons that have shaped us into the people we are today. One of those lessons was that its ok to ask for help when you really need it, and today dear friends the one who needs help is our mother. For the past 7 years, my mom has been losing her hearing has had to turn to hearing aids to be able to hear. Originally, when she was first diagnosed, the doctors told her that her condition was a hereditary one and that as time passed her hearing would only get worse. At the time, my mother was told that the only thing she could do was to wear a hearing aid. My mother's biggest fear is to lose her hearing completely. There have been many times where my mom has broken down in tears because she can't hear other people. Her lack of hearing has affected her balance and we fear that one day she is going to get hurt. My fear is especially heightened when I think about her not being able to hear oncoming traffic when she crosses the streets here in Wilmington. My mother feels self-conscious about her hearing aid and feels ashamed that at her age she must resort to wearing one. The upkeep on the hearing aids has been a costly one, and because she is always wearing them, she has become prone to ear infections and pain. But my mother is a fighter, and she does what she can with what she has.

 My mother has always been a fighter, an optimist and a hard worker. Even with her ailments and hard of hearing, she always wears a smile and a cheery attitude. My mother works in housekeeping at a convalescent home. It's a physically demanding job but her biggest reward is getting to interact with seniors. The love and patience that she has for the elderly is something that has made the difference in the lives of the family members who have their loved ones there. It has also made a huge impact on the lives of the elderly who live out their long or short lives at the convalescent home. My mother prides herself in making sure the patients always have a clean and sanitary environment. Most importantly, she offers empathy and compassion to all the patients; but especially to those who have been forgotten by family members or don't have family at all. For all that she does, we hope to give her the opportunity to hear again. About two weeks ago, she was informed about an operation that could restore her hearing. Unfortunately, this operation is an expensive one. 

Because of the financial demand this operation requires, my mother opted to undergo the surgery in Mexico. The specialist that is treating my mom in Mexico, has high hopes that this operation will work. What we all make isn't enough to pay off the operation, and time is of the essence. So that is where me and my family are asking for help. We are trying to raise $5,000 US dollars to help my mom get her operation. This money will go 100% to her operation as well as her recovery. Because of the type of operation, she is undergoing, my mom must stay in Mexico to recover for a month. We are nervous and saddened to be without my mom and to not be able to be there the day of the operation. We are even more anxious because we will be without our mom for a month, but we know its what's best for her. Me and my siblings could never repay her for all the sacrifice, love, and support that she has given us throughout or lives, but we can try by getting her this operation. If you could please donate to this fund, me and my family would be forever grateful. We understand that times are tough, but doing something as simple as sharing this post would mean the world to us. For all those who donated already, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We wish you a world full of blessings to you and your family. For those who will donate or even share this we say, thank you so much as well and may the universe bestow wonderful things in your lives! We love you all. -La Familia Ortega