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Inspiring Stories.Flor's Story - Flor’s story begins in Cuba. This strong-willed woman worked three jobs in Cuba to help support her two young sons, Jesus and Andres. She cleaned homes and tutored students in math, with help from her husband Roberto. Together they worked very hard to overcome their struggles. In 1976, the family's troubled worsened when Roberto was incarcerated as a result of the Castro Regime.
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Already working two jobs, Flor began to doubt that her family would survive such hardship. Throughout the four long years that her husband was jailed, Flor fought to keep her family under one roof. In desperate times, just before Roberto was to be released from imprisonment, Roberto's mother brought Jesus to the United States of America, where the two settled in the state of New Jersey.
In 1980, Roberto was released from jail and immediately requested to travel to the United States to be with his mother and his son, Jesus. The intention was to eventually bring Flor and Andres to the United States as well, to pursue a better life.
But this would not happen for some time, and once again Flor was left alone in Cuba to care for what was left of her family. Amidst so much stress, Flor had difficulty coping, and as a result she became a habitual cigarette smoker.
But this would not happen for some time, and once again Flor was left alone in Cuba to care for what was left of her family. Amidst so much stress, Flor had difficulty coping, and as a result she became a habitual cigarette smoker.
Eight long years passed before Flor would be given the opportunity to reunite with her husband and son in the United States. Flor then made the impossibly difficult decision to move to the United States and leave her thirteen year old son Andres in Cuba, with faith that he would soon be able to follow his mother and join his family in the US.
After moving to the US in 1989, adversity continued to affect Flor and her family. A piece of her heart remained in Cuba with her son Andres. She worked three jobs, always keeping hope that it would, one day, all be worth it to have her entire family together in the United States. She continued to smoke cigarettes as she struggled to make it through to the end of each day.
In 1991, Flor's son Jesus passed away following a devastating accident. Flor was distraught, overwhelmed, and utterly depressed as a result of losing her eldest son, in addition to being separated from her youngest, Andres. Her life’s turmoil began to take an emotional and physical toll. Flor aged quickly as a result of all of the stress and hardship she faced. After six years, a 19-year old Andres was finally reunited with his family in the United States.
Andres is now 42, runs a successful car washing business, and helps his mother tremendously. After doing her treatment through Faces of Chance, Flor expressed that she feels so rejuvenated, and is so thankful to have participated. Faces of Chance is honored to have been able to provide this woman, who has made countless sacrifices throughout her life for her family, with a positive experience. Flor indicates that she has never done anything for herself, and that this was something she did that actually lifted her spirits and restored her confidence.
After moving to the US in 1989, adversity continued to affect Flor and her family. A piece of her heart remained in Cuba with her son Andres. She worked three jobs, always keeping hope that it would, one day, all be worth it to have her entire family together in the United States. She continued to smoke cigarettes as she struggled to make it through to the end of each day.
In 1991, Flor's son Jesus passed away following a devastating accident. Flor was distraught, overwhelmed, and utterly depressed as a result of losing her eldest son, in addition to being separated from her youngest, Andres. Her life’s turmoil began to take an emotional and physical toll. Flor aged quickly as a result of all of the stress and hardship she faced. After six years, a 19-year old Andres was finally reunited with his family in the United States.
Andres is now 42, runs a successful car washing business, and helps his mother tremendously. After doing her treatment through Faces of Chance, Flor expressed that she feels so rejuvenated, and is so thankful to have participated. Faces of Chance is honored to have been able to provide this woman, who has made countless sacrifices throughout her life for her family, with a positive experience. Flor indicates that she has never done anything for herself, and that this was something she did that actually lifted her spirits and restored her confidence.
Elizabeth's Story - Elizabeth is 51 years old. She has a beautiful family, her husband and her 13 and 14 year old children. She was once a very successful businesswoman, working on mortgages for 29 years. Then, tragedy after tragedy struck Elizabeth. Here is her story:
When Elizabeth was just 26, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She was told she would never have children. When she was 36, she married her husband, and joyously had two children! On October 27, 2011, Elizabeth was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Because of this, she was unable to go see her daughter cheerlead, or be a team mom that year. It was an entire year before she was well enough to go to her daughter's cheerleading events and be a team mom. On one occasion, while she was there in the stadium at UM, Elizabeth was sitting in a chair doing one of the girl's hair when her chair gave out. Elizabeth fell to the ground, injuring her tailbone. She stayed the day because she didn’t want to make a big deal or upset her daughter. Most of all, she dreaded the thought of missing her daughter cheerlead, like she had for the entire year before. One of the other team moms gave her Motrin to alleviate the pain. The following day, when her pain worsened, she went to the hospital, where she found out that two of her vertebras in her cervical and lumbar spine were injured, she had considerable bruising of her left hand, and the rotator cup of her right arm was broken. Treatment for the injuries consisted of therapy and injections.
As time passed, Elizabeth began noticing that she was starting to lose control of her bladder. This required medication. Unfortunately the medication was ineffective, and she continued to have no control over her bladder. She felt insecure about her frequent health issues, and felt as if everyone was tired of hearing about her ailments. One June evening, after her husband and children were sleeping, Elizabeth went to the hospital due to the continued trouble she was having with her bladder. Her husband woke and noticed that she wasn’t home. He called her and said "please don’t tell me you’re at the hospital." She replied "not only am I in the hospital, but I have to go in for emergency surgery." Elizabeth had developed crowding in her spine, which required her to have surgery on her back. Crammed and shattered disks were cutting off the nerves in her spine. This was affecting her bladder, and Elizabeth was terrified to learn it could eventually paralyze her.
Since July of last year, Elizabeth has had 24 seizures, the most recent being this past January. She is unable to drive because of the seizures. She requires a spinal stimulator in effort to wean her off of her 22 medications a day. Elizabeth has been unable to work for two and a half years. She loved her job doing mortgages, but because of the epilepsy, she is unable to travel to work or perform her job well. At 51 years old, life as Elizabeth once knew it is over. She feels as if she is under house arrest, unable to contribute to her family, with pressure to put two kids through school. Elizabeth and her husband lost everything, including their home.
Efforts to settle her medical debt have proven futile, thus far. Because Elizabeth's injuries were a result of an accident, she was advised to sue UM, or else she would be responsible for all of the medical bills. Three years later, there has been hardly any progress. There has been no litigation or offers made to settle the suit. Elizabeth has been paying out of pocket, as she has been unable to receive social security. She acquired Obama Care, however it has not resolved the existing debt. Elizabeth strives to support her children so that they will have more than their parents have. An example of Elizabeth's insurmountable love and support for her children is when Elizabeth's daughter needed tutoring for an important exam. An unemployed Elizabeth and her husband, a self-employed painter, simply could not afford the tutoring. Elizabeth selflessly pawned all of her precious and sentimental jewelry for nearly $1,000... just enough to cover the cost of her daughter's tutoring. Elizabeth has sacrificed invaluable time with her children due to her repeated health issues. She missed months and months of seeing her daughter cheerlead, and seeing her son play football. She has felt lost and helpless as she's been unable to do the things she used to love doing with her family. She longs for the days of sitting on the sidelines at her children's sports events. Instead, she sits on the sidelines of life. Despite such relentless hardships, Elizabeth and her family continue to do absolutely everything they can to push forward!
When Elizabeth was just 26, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She was told she would never have children. When she was 36, she married her husband, and joyously had two children! On October 27, 2011, Elizabeth was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Because of this, she was unable to go see her daughter cheerlead, or be a team mom that year. It was an entire year before she was well enough to go to her daughter's cheerleading events and be a team mom. On one occasion, while she was there in the stadium at UM, Elizabeth was sitting in a chair doing one of the girl's hair when her chair gave out. Elizabeth fell to the ground, injuring her tailbone. She stayed the day because she didn’t want to make a big deal or upset her daughter. Most of all, she dreaded the thought of missing her daughter cheerlead, like she had for the entire year before. One of the other team moms gave her Motrin to alleviate the pain. The following day, when her pain worsened, she went to the hospital, where she found out that two of her vertebras in her cervical and lumbar spine were injured, she had considerable bruising of her left hand, and the rotator cup of her right arm was broken. Treatment for the injuries consisted of therapy and injections.
As time passed, Elizabeth began noticing that she was starting to lose control of her bladder. This required medication. Unfortunately the medication was ineffective, and she continued to have no control over her bladder. She felt insecure about her frequent health issues, and felt as if everyone was tired of hearing about her ailments. One June evening, after her husband and children were sleeping, Elizabeth went to the hospital due to the continued trouble she was having with her bladder. Her husband woke and noticed that she wasn’t home. He called her and said "please don’t tell me you’re at the hospital." She replied "not only am I in the hospital, but I have to go in for emergency surgery." Elizabeth had developed crowding in her spine, which required her to have surgery on her back. Crammed and shattered disks were cutting off the nerves in her spine. This was affecting her bladder, and Elizabeth was terrified to learn it could eventually paralyze her.
Since July of last year, Elizabeth has had 24 seizures, the most recent being this past January. She is unable to drive because of the seizures. She requires a spinal stimulator in effort to wean her off of her 22 medications a day. Elizabeth has been unable to work for two and a half years. She loved her job doing mortgages, but because of the epilepsy, she is unable to travel to work or perform her job well. At 51 years old, life as Elizabeth once knew it is over. She feels as if she is under house arrest, unable to contribute to her family, with pressure to put two kids through school. Elizabeth and her husband lost everything, including their home.
Efforts to settle her medical debt have proven futile, thus far. Because Elizabeth's injuries were a result of an accident, she was advised to sue UM, or else she would be responsible for all of the medical bills. Three years later, there has been hardly any progress. There has been no litigation or offers made to settle the suit. Elizabeth has been paying out of pocket, as she has been unable to receive social security. She acquired Obama Care, however it has not resolved the existing debt. Elizabeth strives to support her children so that they will have more than their parents have. An example of Elizabeth's insurmountable love and support for her children is when Elizabeth's daughter needed tutoring for an important exam. An unemployed Elizabeth and her husband, a self-employed painter, simply could not afford the tutoring. Elizabeth selflessly pawned all of her precious and sentimental jewelry for nearly $1,000... just enough to cover the cost of her daughter's tutoring. Elizabeth has sacrificed invaluable time with her children due to her repeated health issues. She missed months and months of seeing her daughter cheerlead, and seeing her son play football. She has felt lost and helpless as she's been unable to do the things she used to love doing with her family. She longs for the days of sitting on the sidelines at her children's sports events. Instead, she sits on the sidelines of life. Despite such relentless hardships, Elizabeth and her family continue to do absolutely everything they can to push forward!
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