Assisting the De La Rosa's in Their Time of Need

We’ve all heard the phrases, “when it rains it pours” and “God won’t give you more than you can handle”…..well, it is pouring right now for the De La Rosa family and they have absolutely got more than they can handle. The family unequivocally needs our help! We would like to share a little bit of Sean, Lorraine, and Andrew’s story with you.

The De La Rosa’s are originally from Los Angeles, CA and moved to CT in 2015 when Andrew was 9 years old. They quickly found the sport of wrestling in CT and a spark was lit inside Andrew (and Sean, also). From that point on, much of their CT winters were spent inside cramped gymnasiums full of sweaty kids and wrestling mats. They were there to not only support Andrew, but to encourage all the wrestlers trying to achieve that next goal or process an unexpected defeat. They have become ambassadors of the sport and regardless of club affiliation, they are a part of our wrestling family.

Earlier this year, Sean was diagnosed with cancer. Originally it was thought to be somewhat limited, but further testing and scans showed the issue was far more advanced than originally thought. The months that have followed have been filled with lots of medical appointments, more scans, tests, and ultimately chemotherapy. As some can attest, not all Chemo is the same and it affects people in different ways. Sean’s experience has been unusually rough.

Then In August, their home had a pipe burst unexpectedly, which severely damaged almost the entire house. In order to begin demolition and appraise the repairs, the insurance company relocated the De La Rosa’s into a hotel temporarily. Then the contractor found asbestos in the house, which halted everything for the required abatement. What was expected to take a few months is now looking like 7 to 9 months outside their home. The insurance company reluctantly helped the De La Rosa’s find a tiny little condo to rent in town, and they moved again. In the past 90 days, they have been flooded out or their home, moved twice and are now negotiating with both the insurance company and independent contractors to manage the repairs on their home. All the while Sean’s Chemo treatments continued.

Andrew, now a Senior in High School, has been trying to balance the school work, college prep and life experiences that come with being a Senior. Sean has been Andrew’s strongest source of motivation and comfort; his “life skills” cheerleader and his absolute best friend. Sean’s health has seen a rapid decline from a combination of the cancer and the chemo. He has been sleeping almost all day long and unable to work. His vacation time from work has been exhausted and now transitioned to FMLA but without income.

Because of the impact the chemotherapy has had, Sean has now decided to stop treatments. His hope is to maximize this time with family, not to spend it sleeping or chemo sick. They have begun hospice care to help with the medical needs and all three of Sean’s sisters came to visit from CA. Sean was grateful for the special moments with his sisters and looks forward to his brother visiting soon. Throughout this all, Lorraine has been a rock for Sean and Andrew. This despite her father being ill in California, and she not able to travel to be with him. Lorraine also had surgery of her own and Andrew has a torn meniscus that needs to be repaired for him to wrestle. Worse still, she will go on FLMA of her own on December 1st to help care for Sean.

The De La Rosa’s wrestling family has come together to create this Go Fund Me in hopes of providing Lorraine and Andrew some financial relief they so desperately need. The money raised will help cover the mounting medical bills and supplement the lack of income as they go through this difficult time. There are expenses on the horizon still that are too painful to mention and hopefully will be delayed for many more months to come.

Your contribution, no matter how big or small, will make an impact for this family who has been challenged with so much adversity. Here is how you can help:

• Donate: Your financial support to the De La Rosa Go Fund Me is critical to helping the family begin feeling some relief from the mounting costs.

• Share: Spread the word about the De La Rosa story and share the Go Fund Me link with your friends, family, and social networks. We need to reach far and wide to help them through this.

• Volunteer: If you have skills or resources that could help the De La Rosa’s please reach out. They have immediate needs for medical aide’s, homeowner’s insurance expertise, home repair contractor referrals, airline tickets (use your points!) and other advice and services. They would also benefit from any meal delivery or restaurant gift card donations since Lorraine in particular keeps forgetting to eat with her focus solely on Sean and Andrew.

• Pray: Your thoughts, prayers, and positive energy mean the world to Sean, Lorraine, and Andrew. Please keep praying for this amazing family during this most difficult time.

Let us come together as a loving community to support the De La Rosa family. Our collective efforts can provide them with the strength, resources, and love needed to work through these unimaginable life challenges.