Hurricane Refugees from Puerto Rico
Donation protected
Urgent help needed for a family of five from Puerto Rico: husband (Rafa, a Desert Storm Veteran), wife (Margarita), two teenage daughters (Nicole and Stephanie), and elderly mother (Josie) who moved in with them after Hurricane Maria caused devastation in the US Territory more than a month ago.
Margarita has several chronic autoimmune diseases that have kept her out of work and home for the past year.
Two weeks after Hurricane Maria made its destructive landfall across Puerto Rico, Margarita was unable to reach her doctors, since communications of all types were down. She therefore could not continue medical treatment. After a family doctor was finally able to write a prescription, husband Rafa went to twenty-two different pharmacies in the metro San Juan area. They all said the same: "Sorry, but these meds aren't available at this point. We are having problems with the distribution chain."
As desperation and anxiety began to affect Margarita's health even more, her husband contacted the Patient Air Lift Services and the family of five was able to leave their beloved, devastated island with one carry-on each, arriving in the Seattle area on the 12th of October.
A group of volunteers from different churches set them up in a rental house quickly in the Lake Hills area so that the girls would be able to finish their school semester, while Margarita was referred to a doctor to continue treatment and refill her prescription meds.
At this time, while Rafa searches for a job, they have no income to meet next month's rent, monthly utility bills, groceries, clothing, public transportation, buy health insurance to cover Margarita's medical expenses, among other ongoing monetary needs. Their former home in Puerto Rico now belongs to the bank, and their savings are completely depleted.
For these reasons, they are humbly grateful for all the kind and generous help they have received in these first two weeks, and they hope and pray it will continue until Rafa is able to secure a full-time job.
May God bless you all,
The Muñoz family
Margarita has several chronic autoimmune diseases that have kept her out of work and home for the past year.
Two weeks after Hurricane Maria made its destructive landfall across Puerto Rico, Margarita was unable to reach her doctors, since communications of all types were down. She therefore could not continue medical treatment. After a family doctor was finally able to write a prescription, husband Rafa went to twenty-two different pharmacies in the metro San Juan area. They all said the same: "Sorry, but these meds aren't available at this point. We are having problems with the distribution chain."
As desperation and anxiety began to affect Margarita's health even more, her husband contacted the Patient Air Lift Services and the family of five was able to leave their beloved, devastated island with one carry-on each, arriving in the Seattle area on the 12th of October.
A group of volunteers from different churches set them up in a rental house quickly in the Lake Hills area so that the girls would be able to finish their school semester, while Margarita was referred to a doctor to continue treatment and refill her prescription meds.
At this time, while Rafa searches for a job, they have no income to meet next month's rent, monthly utility bills, groceries, clothing, public transportation, buy health insurance to cover Margarita's medical expenses, among other ongoing monetary needs. Their former home in Puerto Rico now belongs to the bank, and their savings are completely depleted.
For these reasons, they are humbly grateful for all the kind and generous help they have received in these first two weeks, and they hope and pray it will continue until Rafa is able to secure a full-time job.
May God bless you all,
The Muñoz family
Organizer and beneficiary
Kristy Kowalczyk
Organizer
Bellevue, WA
Rafael Munoz-Cintron
Beneficiary