Fátima passed away in February 2023. Your donations to the PHF medical fund will help her younger sister, Rosalía. The hearing aids will now help André.
This sweet girl is Fátima Natalia, who is 14 years old. Doctors discovered a large, malignant tumor in her brain two years ago. Fátima had been in high school, full of life. But not too long ago, doctors were able to remove the tumor. Unfortunately, this surgery left her with profoundly limited hearing, loss of vision in one eye, and paralysis, requiring a wheelchair. Sadly, the tumor grew again. Finally, a few short days before Christmas, her doctor took her out of the hospital and sent her home to spend her last days.
Fátima and her family are from Veracruz, but she and her parents are living in Mérida because her doctor is there. Her parents found work locally to pay for most of their living expenses and her medical expenses. But the younger children in the family remained in Veracruz with their grandparents. Unfortunately, Fátima can no longer travel to her hometown, and it appeared she would have to spend her last days or weeks with her mother and father alone. They live in a house made of cardboard and plastic sheets, in a deplorable situation. Thankfully, through generous donors, Philip Hayden Foundation was able to help bring her siblings to Mérida for a visit so that the family could spend time together.
This condition is hereditary, and Fátima’s younger sister, nine-year-old Rosalía, was heartbreakingly diagnosed with the same type of tumor this week. Thankfully, the initial images of Rosalía’s tumor showed that she does not require chemotherapy yet. Instead, doctors will perform diagnostic imaging again in April, and the oncologist will plan treatment then. Here’s how you can help Rosalía and Fátima – we need $1800 for hearing aids for Fátima and the diagnostic testing for Rosalía in April. You can donate here.