Ana Ester

Story

Ana, 5-year-old – Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health

Ana was first diagnosed in June of 2024 with Rhabdomyosarcoma- a rare type of aggressive soft tissue cancer that develops from muscle cells. She has been a brave warrior fighting this dreadful disease. The prognosis is poor. The Miranda family of 5, including a new infant, is struggling financially and emotionally. As the sole provider, the father lost his job as a carpenter due to Ana’s care and demanding medical treatment. Mother takes care of both newborn and 3 y/o son. The family is strong in their faith and hoping for the best. Your donations will go a long way in supporting this loving family.

Needs

Ana and her family need help with their rent and car payments to ensure Ana gets the medical treatment she desperately needs in Hospitals located both in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Letter from Hospital Social Worker:

Dear Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation,

This letter is on behalf of Ana. Ana is a 5-year-old Pediatric Oncology patient at Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health Medical Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Ana was first admitted to the hospital on June 17, 2024, due to a mass in her abdomen which was causing pain and swelling. After a few harrowing days, Ana’s family was told this mass is a type of pediatric cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma.

Ana’s family has been informed that this diagnosis carries a poor prognosis. They are extremely concerned about the course Ana’s disease is taking. Throughout the process, her family has remained strong by relying on their faith and each other. The treatment schedule has been strenuous, yet Ana has remained a fighter throughout the entire process. She has been receiving intensive chemotherapy since June of last year. She recently started six weeks of daily radiation therapy which will occur concurrently with her chemotherapy.

Ana’s family must travel to Miami for the specialized radiation treatment she needs. She has two younger siblings, and her father works as a cabinet maker. In December he was let go from full time employment because Ana’s treatment schedule has not allowed him to work as often as he needs to. Ana’s family would greatly benefit from assistance during this time of hardship. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Melissa Stachowiak, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health

View Original letter

Plea from Father:

It all started on June 17, 2024, when Ana Ester was at the house of a friends and a mother noticed that her belly was quite large. Our friend told us to take her to the hospital to check it out, maybe it was an appendix, something simple.

So, I went to the hospital, and they did tests on her and found a mass. Later that day, on the 17^th of June, they transferred her to Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale, where they said that the mass was a term used for cancer. From then on, our lives changed. Her treatment began with chemotherapy every Wednesday. We are now starting radiotherapy. And because I have to take her every Wednesday from our home in North Broward to Miami, I lost my job. Now I have my family to support and at the same time am in charge of my daughter’s medical needs who depends so much on me at this time. Diego

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