Help Linda Rivas Fight Breast Cancer!

On behalf of Linda’s five children and the entire Rivas/Lopez family, it is with a heavy heart that I share the news that on August 5th, 2020, Linda Rivas was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Linda and Carlos "Charles" were busy enjoying life, living each day as proud parents to five beautiful children and eleven grandchildren, when Linda discovered a lump in her left breast. Linda did all the right things following the finding of the lump and contacted her doctor. Over the following month, Linda was seen multiple times for testing and she always remained optimistic and positive about what the outcome would be.

That’s when Linda and Carlos received the news that would change their life forever. Linda has Invasive Carcinoma Grade 2 Breast Cancer. This type of cancer is fast-growing and can easily spread, so Linda's doctor has thankfully jumped on getting Linda set-up with a breast cancer doctor and surgeon immediately.

The next step will be for Linda to receive counseling to discuss her options and to undergo an MRI to check to see if cancer has spread. After the MRI is complete Linda’s doctor will be able to diagnose the stage of cancer and have more clarity as to which avenue to take with treatment. As it stands now at the very minimum Linda will undergo a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and possibly radiation. It is crucial that they aggressively treat the cancer to give her the best prognosis.

Linda and Carlos have traveled to Sonoma County to stay with their nephew and niece for the past four years to work the grape harvest for a local winery. They usually leave Visalia in August and return in December and this is their mainstream of income for the year. With the news of Linda’s diagnosis their plans to work have come to a screeching halt.

Linda will have doctor’s appointments every day for a long time and between the recovery from surgery, undergoing treatment, and recovering she will be unable to work for the foreseeable future. For this news to come in the middle of a pandemic also limits what Carlos will be able to do to earn an income while Linda is going through this.

If you know Carlos and Linda, you know they do EVERYTHING together. In addition to Carlos needing to be there for Linda to take her to and from appointments, care for her, support her, and advocate for her, he also has to be extremely cautious about who is around during this pandemic. Linda will not have the immune system to fight a virus while she is fighting cancer. Linda needs all her strength to fight this cancer and she needs Carlos there with her.

To eliminate the financial worries that will come with both Carlos and Linda not working we are asking you to consider a donation to help Carlos and Linda get through this extremely difficult time. All money that is donated will be placed in an account that will be used to pay all of their living expenses (rent, utilities, insurance, food, gas, etc.), for any additional therapies and any additional care expenses, etc.

If there is any money remaining after Linda WINS this fight it will be used to give back to various breast cancer research and support centers.

The family has asked that this page be updated weekly to keep everyone apprised as to where Linda is at in this journey. The family has also been overwhelmed with gratitude for all those who have contacted them since the news spread. But with that, they have asked for their privacy as they embark on a journey through these uncharted waters.  While Linda, Carlos, and all of their children are extremely thankful for the prayers, support, love, and generosity everyone has shown them, they are overwhelmed by the number of calls, texts, social media messages, etc. As to be expected they are still processing the news and sorting through many different emotions and feelings.

With that said, they have requested that you use this page to seek updates and if you do reach out to Linda or Carlos you keep your questions surrounding the situation to a minimum. It is important to the family that Linda and Carlos remain positive and keep living their life as normal as possible.

Most importantly they have requested that everyone PRAY! Pray for the Lord to wrap his arms around Linda and heal her from this awful disease. They are committed to remaining positive and optimistic and ask that you do the same. The strength and faith of this family are STRONG! As always, they are keeping their eyes on the Lord and placing their faith over their fears.

Please join them in prayer, stay positive, and manifest with them the best outcome for Linda! If anyone can kick cancer’s ass it’s Linda. She is small but mighty and there is nothing this woman can’t survive. With all of YOU behind her, she is that much stronger.

Please donate if you can, no donation is too small and if you can’t donate please PRAY!
 
We will update you when we have the results of Linda’s MRI. Blessings to all, stay safe, and please continue to remember YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR WEALTH!

Sincerely, 

Linda's Tribe