Kind, smart and outgoing, eight-year-old Antoinette was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the summer of 2015. At the time of her diagnosis, Antoinette was living in Mexico with her parents and two older sisters. Her family moved to Chula Vista, California, in order to access medical care at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

Before Antoinette’s diagnosis, her mother worked full time as a medical assistant. When Antoinette began her aggressive treatment protocol, her mother made the difficult decision to leave her job. Antoinette’s father, Antonio, was able to continue working full time at his construction job while completing his architecture degree. However, the loss of her mother’s income made it extremely difficult to afford the family’s everyday living expenses as well as the costs associated with Antoinette’s cancer treatment.

Seeking support

The family’s social worker contacted Family Reach and expressed grave concern for Antoinette’s health if the family lost their housing. She was confident that critical financial support at this time would stabilize the entire family – and it did.

“Throughout this cancer journey, Antoinette has kept her unshakeable spirit of happiness,” says Antonio. “She is constantly smiling, drawing and talking about her future plans to become an architect, like me, and help families in need. Thank you for your time and dedication to helping children like her. ”

Within 24 hours, the Family Reach community provided a grant to assist with the family’s rent. This payment provided Antoinette’s parents an enormous sense of relief, allowing them once again to focus on their daughter and her battle with cancer.