The Cazares Family

Dear All,

Please help my friend, Anahy Cazares, her husband, Jonathan, and their two sons, Johnny and Ian. On Monday morning of July 18th, their son Johnny suffered a brain bleed on his right side, causing him to crash his car into a tree. It is a phone call that no parent ever wants to receive, but by the grace of God, he survived. Unfortunately, he suffered significant trauma to his left side, including another brain bleed, a broken femur, and a banged-up knee. He arrived in critical condition and had surgeries for his brain and leg, requiring multiple blood transfusions. After a week of intubation and sedation at University Hospital in San Antonio, he transferred from the Pediatric ICU to the trauma department. From there, it took a few days, but they were finally able to wake him up.

On Wednesday, August 3rd, Johnny started intensive rehab therapy at the hospital. He has complete control and mobility of his right side but is working hard to retain it on his left. The more aware he becomes of his situation, the more frustrated he gets; however, on Friday, August 5th, after working hard with his speech therapist, Johnny finally spoke his first word, “Mama”, which was music to Anahy’s ears. And although he still has a nasal feeding tube, they’ll decide next week whether it’s necessary for a G-tube.

Johnny is an exceptional honor student and athlete in golf, tennis, track/field, and cross country. He is also the best big brother to Ian, with whom he shares a special bond. He loves all music genres and enjoys singing, playing his guitar, and even serenading the puppies. It’s heartbreaking because, although grateful to be alive, it is unknown how long it will be before he can return to school and partake in all the things he enjoys doing with his family and friends.

The Cazares are an amazing, hard-working, loving, and tight-knit family. Anahy is a dog breeder, and Jonathan works in landscaping and maintenance at a ranch. As of right now, they have not left Johnny’s side, except for making the 1.5-hour commute home to check on Ian and the puppies and grab a change of clothes. Their boys are their world, but Jonathan is taking unpaid leave to be there for his family. As for Anahy, this is a woman who supports local businesses and truly cares about her community. She even started a scholarship fund for local and surrounding high school students from her breeding program. Aside from her family, she loves her dogs and makes it her mission to find their puppies the best homes. Recognizing her devotion and passion, Jonathan even built her a beautiful kennel in their backyard with his bare hands.

Aside from medical bills, they will need help with their monthly finances and continuous rehab therapy until Johnny is back in action. We continue to pray for that to be sooner rather than later, but unfortunately, brain trauma can take weeks or even months to heal. We live in crazy times, and inflation does not help at all, so if you could please donate to help alleviate some of their stress, I know they would be more than appreciative.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your continued thoughts and prayers for Johnny’s healing and recovery.