Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – A child diagnosed with cancer impacts an entire family. Not only does a cancer diagnosis turn a child’s entire world upside down, but overwhelming medical expenses can add an enormous amount of financial stress on families with minimal income.
Aid to Families of Children With Cancer (AFCC) is an organization that supports 18 families who have a child diagnosed with cancer in the Puerto Vallarta region. The organization receives no government funding so relies solely on donations from private donors, community organizations, and fundraisers.
This pandemic has made 2020 an especially difficult year for our AFCC families, but we are continuing to make a difference.
And, since Christmastime should not be heartbreaking for any child or family, in addition to our regular monthly despensas that will be given out on the 20th, we are collecting donations to give these families a memorable Christmas.
For each donation $25 USD or over ($500 MXN), we’ll add a bright red ball to this tree. For donations of $100 USD or over ($2,000 MXN), we’ll add a string of lights. CLICK THIS LINK to help with donations towards giving the AFCC families a wonderful Christmas.
Despensas and presents will be given out at the Venetian on the 20th and, as we’ve been doing since the pandemic, the families will be divided up into different times to keep numbers to a minimum. Five children at a time will pick up presents, have breakfast and then go home. The first breakfast will be at 9 am, the second will be at 10:30, and the third will be at 11:45. Coco’s Kitchen will be providing a lunch for the older children.
Our family numbers are growing. The photo above is of Linette, who is three years old. She picked up her Christmas presents early and pulled down her mask long enough for Aurora to get her beautiful smile. She’ll be in the hospital in Guadalajara over Christmas, so she got her presents early.
Another new family member is Carlos, 12 years old. He has been hospitalized many times over the past two years, first for a tumor and now with leukemia. He has asked his dad for a Christmas tree with decorations this year, and we’ve had one donated, so he’ll get his wish. He’ll be traveling to Guadalajara this week, but we plan to surprise him with the tree when he returns.
Want to adopt a child or family for Christmas? Contact me at gbland101(at)gmail.com.
We’ve had some fabulous donations to the AFCC Christmas campaign so far. We had a star donor who truly deserved the star on top! If you’d like to help make the families have a special Christmas this year, please CLICK HERE and donate to the Christmas presents fund.
This month seems to be going so fast! Christmas is now less than two weeks away, so make a donation today, and help us get this tree decorated! All donations will go toward making this Christmas special for the children and their families.
You can see the tree decorating progress on our Facebook page, and we’ll give you another update towards the end of the month, so stay safe and well during the holiday season!