Maria was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer. She started receiving chemo treatment and has been battling ever since. Maria was working in deaf education as a teacher assistant. She had aspirations to be a teacher eventually but obviously cancer does not strike when convenient and it most certainly does not come with a road map. Maria has been facing an uphill battle ever since her diagnosis and she even had car issues at the time to complicate matters even more. We were so honored earlier this year to be there for her when she needed some help and we awarded her and her family with a $5,000 grant. Maria is a single mom to her 15 year old son and also has her 23 year old living with her to help out. With transportation being an issue as well as some insurance problems, life has been quite hard.
More recently Maria and I caught up and when we did, she told me that she had been doing well and they have started making chemo a bit less frequent and it allowed her to feel better for longer stretches of time. She even got to go on a bucket list trip with family & friends during her 1 year chemo-versary. They went to Mexico City and even through her family was very nervous for her, she had a blast and in her words, "It has been a release and even though everyone is worried for me, it is good to feel like me again. I am blessed with amazing people around me and it is so nice to get away. It is a blessing."....I even chatted with her while she was in an Uber in Mexico and she was happy to speak with me talked about what a huge blessing it was for her to get the award from Tony Foundation and all our generous donors.
I will continue to pull for her, think about her and her family, and pray for this amazing woman on this difficult journey and I am so genuinely happy that she and I have a bond and that I feel like I have helped to make a real difference in her life. Even though it took cancer diagnoses for us to connect, we are essentially brother and sister in the cancer battle and we will always keep the faith to keep living life. Glad to call you my friend Maria!
- Tony Laudadio
