It's never easy to ask for help, and if you know Raquel she will probably give me a good hair pullin' when she is well, but we are reaching out to you on behalf of a very close friend who has been like a second mother to my sister & I.

For the past 8 months or so Raquel has struggled with a health condition that she has seen specialists and had multiple tests done to pin point what is going on. Last Sunday (Nov. 7th) she started feeling very ill, not able to eat and constantly throwing up. She originally just thought she had a bad bug mixed with the symptoms she has already been experiencing. After seeing her specialist Friday (Nov. 12th), she was still not able to eat so our mother took her into the ER (at this point she could barely walk).

It was there that they discovered she had fluid in one of her lungs. After they did the procedure (Saturday, Nov. 13th) to remove the fluid, she was in critical condition and put on a ventilator. After a time being unresponsive yet stable, she woke up on her own!

She was making great strides as she was able to move and even write to communicate. We were all ecstatic as that afternoon she was able to get the ventilator out, was talking, and was even able to eat some jello!

However, that night she became in critical condition again. They were able to get her stable quickly but had to be put back on the ventilator.

The doctors are doing all they can to find the cause and get her the help she needs however, she definitely has a long road ahead of her. But, she is fighting and we keep believing in her strength!

As you know, Raquel has always been there for us. She's the first one to any function, and she's also there to lend a helping hand. Now it's time for us to be there for her. We're asking all friends and family if they can contribute anything to help cover all the medical costs she will incur. I know this is a hard time of year but anything you can give would be a real blessing. If you cannot give, that is totally fine, please pass this along by sharing to continue the support & prayer.

Please respect the family's privacy as this time and use this page as your way to stay connected, I will update this page as often as I can.

Thank you all for your support & prayers for her!