Hope for Vanessa

In May 2019, Vanessa Barrera and her partner Phil received fantastic news. Vanessa was pregnant with her second child, a boy, who       would soon join his 6 year old sister, Olivia, and their loving family. Initially, no one thought that the small medical problems Vanessa was having were anything more than what is to be expected with a pregnancy: headaches, nausea and fatigue. However, the symptoms            became worse. When doctors finally investigated, they diagnosed Vanessa with Grade 4 glioblastoma, or cancer of the brain.

Vanessa is a young woman. She owns her own dog care business, a specialty enterprise for animals with excessive energy. Every day,         sometimes at the crack of dawn, Vanessa would load up her specially outfitted truck for dogs and bring a pack to a dog beach or a long   desert trail, where she would run and play with them for hours. She transformed difficult animals into loving and well-adjusted pets.
Vanessa was the epitome of health. Nothing had prepared her for a diagnosis such as brain cancer. Right away, she was faced with a life  or death decision. Doctors wanted to pursue aggressive chemotherapy, but this would kill the child she had been carrying for 19 weeks. A devastating decision had to be made, and she made it without hesitation. Chemo would wait. She would have the baby.

So, treatment was limited to localized radiation injections and other therapies safer for the fetus. Doctors tried to slow the progress of    the disease while Vanessa tried to give her son every chance to be born healthy, which he was. Baby Luca was born on September 17.

During this time, Vanessa had to remain hospitalized. She became paralyzed on the left side of her body. She needed help with even simple activities. Her daughter, Olivia, turned 7 while Vanessa was in the hospital. All the while, Vanessa did not complain. She is a fighter. She knew what she was in for, and she is very strong.

Immediately following Luca’s birth, Vanessa went home and chemotherapy began. Having been so healthy before, she responded well to treatment, allowing the doctors to be more aggressive than they would with other patients. Vanessa has a lot to live for.


Now, of course, the bills are piling up. Vanessa has been discharged from the hospital and has returned home. Chemotherapy is ongoing. She is still paralyzed on the left of her body, and requires assistance to do the simplest of tasks, including holding her newborn son or hugging her daughter. The family cannot afford physical therapy which could enable Vanessa to walk again.


The family rents their home. They spoke with the landlord about possible modifications to the house to help deal with Vanessa’s mobility problems. Nothing happened. Instead, the landlord raised the rent on the family by $400 a month, with no reason given.

Vanessa’s survival depends on receiving the best possible medical care. Her welfare requires therapy and caregiving  she cannot afford. Her family is facing expenses that could drive them from their home. The children face an uncertain future. Olivia is very brave, and understands as much as she can about the situation. Luca will have to grow older before hearing about his strong and loving mom … from his mother, if Vanessa has anything to say about it.


This ordeal is almost unimaginable. Less than a year ago this was a healthy and happy family. Their lives have been turned upside down,  and they need financial assistance now. All funds collected will go directly to the family. Please consider doing what you can to help Vanessa and her family in this extraordinarily difficult time. Thank you.