HELPING HAND RECIPIENT: At 60 years old, Juan Linarez and
his wife Leonor have stepped up for their family in a big way, they are raising
their 3 grandchildren (Daniel, Alex and Joel) after the lost their daughter in
a car accident. Six months ago Juan was diagnosed with Chagas disease, also
known as Trypanosomiasis in the US.
Trypanosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease in vertebrates. Chagas
is typically transmitted to humans by an insect vector, the blood-sucking insects
of the subfamily Triatominae mainly in Latin America. The disease is
responsible for 21,000+ deaths a year.
Although some symptoms and conditions can be treated, 20% of the people
with this disease will eventually develop life-threatening heart and digestive
system disorders. Juan has been affected with an enlarged heart and other heart
related problems that have affected his energy and work ability. He was laid
off at his job because he was just not able to work as hard due to the strains
of the disease.
HELPING HAND NEED: Juan
came to us with his concerns and shared his worry for his family and their
money needs. Juan needed an opportunity to work from home to provide for his
family but did not have the means to start his home business. We helped Juan
start a small grocery store within his home where
THOUGHTS FROM JUAN: “With this help i will be able to provide
income to the house, in addition to my wife selling tortillas. This is a help
that I am so grateful for. God bless all of you for this humble and enormous
labor. I will pray that this foundation continues to help people in need.