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My name is Diana, and I am a Community Health Worker "Promotora" of the Emotional Well-being program at LHA, specifically Case Management. I live in the city of Santa Ana, and as a resident of this community, I know several of my neighbors around me, and I have seen firsthand how this pandemic brought a different approach to health in our lives. I want to share the story of one of my neighbors, a mother of 4 children, who was diagnosed with breast cancer the year before the pandemic. By the time she was diagnosed, cancer had unfortunately advanced to her throat and lungs. Sadly her husband abandoned her when he found out she was sick, and her only financial support was from her brother and nephew, who lived with her. The uncertainty of her family's well-being was a perennial concern, and she told Diana that she did not understand why her husband had abandoned her in these difficult times. The disease progressed rapidly, and she was unable to pay her rent, and she received an eviction order. Her brother and her nephew became infected with Covid, and fear led her to look for a job to support the family, but the chemotherapies and fatigue were too much, and she could not continue. Whenever she called LHA, I always answered her calls, and we always talked about her fears of dying. I told her this was like a dream, she would sleep, and her family would be fine and in good hands. Latino Health Access gave her all the possible support so that her family was not evicted, and she also received emotional support, companionship, and financial help. The last time she called, she asked me to take her to the hospital because she had no one to take her, but I felt it would be the last time I would see her.
Unfortunately, my neighbor passed away in the middle of the pandemic. People at LHA gathered to raise money for my neighbor's funeral. Currently, her children are with their biological father, and her brother rents an apartment near where her nephews live. I still remember her as a good mother, sister, aunt, and wife, who bravely faced the circumstances she had to endure.
Today, I help facilitate a support group for women called "heart to heart," we focus on those emotional situations that women may go through. I would like to invite women to participate in a group that can provide emotional support and resources. We continue to work without giving up to support a community where diseases and low-resource conditions continue to advance.
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