ARMANDO ORTEGA’S FAMILY NEEDS YOU NOW

It was the night of April 10, 2022. Armando had finished working his shift at Fox’s Restaurant in Altadena. He was scheduled to do We Tell Stories shows the next morning in Pomona. But he never made it home. Armando suffered a brain aneurysm, and for the first few weeks, we didn't think he was going to make it. Snowy and the family were talking about end-of-life care. The doctors were saying they didn’t see a pathway to a meaningful life. He just couldn’t wake up.

But, little by little, he did. As slow as it seemed to take, to see him now, it’s amazing how far he’s come. He’s sitting up in bed, often in a wheelchair. He’s feeding himself, voraciously, and most of all, he’s bright and lucid. Way lucid. Loves to talk. If you’ve got his number, you can call him up. If you have history with him, he will remember you. He may not remember what you said to him 5 minutes ago. He certainly won’t remember what happened yesterday. He doesn’t remember that he had a stroke. He kinda thinks he had an accident. But he’ll remember you. And who knows how much farther he may come. He’s defied the odds so far, and the brain is a mystery.

It’s been a journey, from Hospital to Board and Care to Acute Rehab to the Motion Picture & Television Fund Retirement Home in Woodland Hills, where he’s residing now. It's the best possible place for him to be. He gets lots of therapy, and insurance and his disability pay for most of it. It's a drive, but Snowy and Quino make that drive every day. You can go anytime and visit. You'll love it there.

Snowy and Quino aren't looking for a place to move anymore. Armando isn't coming home in the foreseeable future, so they're going to stay put as well.

But they're still going to need financial support. Much of what you've already donated went to medical and maintenance costs. Now they’ve finally got MediCal and Disability supplementing Yolanda’s insurance, but they still have to survive without Mando’s income.

Yolanda and Joaquin can’t thank you enough for the support and generosity you have extended throughout this trying year. It’s hard to truly imagine what they have endured so far, and still, the challenges persist. Still, they need your help. Thank you, in advance, for whatever you can do to help them make it through the year ahead.