Funeral Fund for Aurora de la Mata

On September 19th, 2021, my mom passed away after a very difficult battle against Covid-19. There is no way to describe how truly harrowing it was to see her go in this way. My mom was a beautiful person who placed everyone ahead of herself. She loved her family deeply and especially shined as a caring support for those around her. Beloved in her community, she served as an active mentor to so many people, including the women of her church and anyone who would come to her in need.

The last month has overwhelmed our family with grief, and our home is empty without her. I still can't believe that I will never get to hug her or hear her voice again. While she was in the hospital, I talked to her over FaceTime and played music for her every day, but there is no replacement for the time we should have had with her in person. No one can imagine how painful this experience is until they've gone through it themselves. Every day of the last month has been an emotional roller coaster. Her situation altered drastically every few hours, from positive and hopeful to complete uncertainty, back and forth, over and over again. She would call us in tears, terrified that she might not make it. My mom was not afraid to die, but she feared leaving her family behind. She really didn't deserve any of this.

As we're now making her arrangements, we've discovered that the cost is much higher than we anticipated. In life, my mom had always expressed to us that she wished to be buried when her time came. Unfortunately, we were not prepared for that to be so soon.

I feel very humbled having to make this post, but honoring my mom's wishes means more to me than anything right now.

To be fully transparent, here are the costs that we are currently facing:

Total: $32,000-$34,000

Any amount helps and it would mean the world to me and my family.

And thank you to everyone who has reached out or kept my family in your thoughts. I am really grateful to have you all in my life.

Sincerely,

Ryan de la Mata