Medical Expenses for Cindy Puente

Hello. Our sister, Cindy Puente, was recently diagnosed with cancer in her brain, breasts, and lungs. Cindy recently retired from the Brownsville Fire Department where she served her community for more than 22 years. She is a third generation firefighter and one of the first female members in the 150 year history of the department. Cindy was the first female to hold the rank of Driver/Engineer as well as the first female to act in the capacity of the officer of a fire company.

Her love for her job was only second to her love for her family. Her daughter, Stephanie, her son-in-law and her grandson have always been her greatest joy. Stephanie is also 5 months pregnant which makes this terrible diagnosis that much harder to deal with.

Two weeks ago, Cindy was experiencing dizziness and memory loss. Initial imaging showed masses in her brain with secondary scans showing additional masses to her breasts and lungs. Tests are still being performed to find the origin of her stage 4 cancer. Cindy has trouble with conversation now and requires constant care as she can no longer walk, bathe, or eat on her own. She will require skilled nursing care as she recovers from an infection she developed in the hospital. After that she’ll begin radiation treatment for her cancer. Cindy has a small family and everyone is doing what they can but she’ll need additional care once she’s back at home and many of these services have limited coverage through her insurance.

Anyone fortunate enough to know or work with Cindy can tell you that she’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. Nobody should have to get this kind of diagnosis but it’s especially hard to see someone so kind having to suffer so much. On behalf of the Brownsville Firefighters, I’d like to humbly ask for your help in supporting our sister, Cindy, and her family through this difficult time. We would be extremely grateful for your monetary contributions, as well as your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you so much,

Joe Huerta