Hello my name is Maria and I am honored to share my story with your agency.  I am very pleased with all the assistance I received from all those involved.  

The experience was marvelous and thank God that He put these people in my path.  I am grateful to your organization and all those that collaborated, but above all to Chela Marin, who helped me and put so much effort into this process.

My Childhood in Mexico

I was always a child full of energy, participating in many sports.  I worked very hard in school and strived to be number one, so that my parents would be proud of me.  I didn’t want them to ever worry about me. I never thought that the shortness of breath I felt off and on had anything to do with my heart.  I figured it was just because I over exerted myself.  So throughout all my school years I continued to participate in different sports.  Once I entered college, I decided I wanted to run a race and win it.  As it turned out, I did win the race, however, I was unable to stay and collect my trophy, as I was rushed to the hospital.  While in the hospital, all sorts of tests were done on me.   At this time, I received the bad news of what was happening to me.  This is also when I was told that I was prohibited from participating in any type of sport that would cause exertion.  I was so sad and I thought I would never be “normal” again.

During this time, I also realized that my faith in God was proven to be right.  The doctors told me that I had rheumatic fever and what I was going to need was heart surgery, a valve replacement.   I was so frightened, that I decided not to do it.  Eventually I fell in love and got married.  Although my pregnancy was a high risk one, I delivered a healthy baby boy.  However, the doctor did tell us that it was very risky and I had to be careful.  

Life in the U.S.

Soon thereafter, we came to the United States.  My husband found a job with benefits.  This included medical insurance and coverage 100%.  I immediately made a doctor’s appointment and when I went for my consult, the doctor was concerned about my condition.  They did several tests on me and determined I needed to be hospitalized at that time.  The hospital I was admitted to did not have the latest technology to do the valve replacement I needed and I was transferred to another hospital.  Upon my arrival to the new hospital, I was told that I had to have the surgery done right away.  I said my goodbyes to my husband and my baby and asked God to guide me through this time.  When I awoke, I was hooked up to all kinds of machine.  I was so thankful to be alive.  But as it turned out, the doctors told me that I would eventually need another surgery.  

Sixteen months later, I began to experience some fatigue and shortness of breath.  I saw my cardiologist who determined I needed at pacemaker.  A pacemaker was implanted and all went well, until 6 ½ years later, when I once again started experiencing symptoms.  My cardiologist told me that I was going to need a pacemaker replacement (generator). The pacemaker had also moved and needed to be repositioned.   Unfortunately, I no longer had insurance.  All I had was emergency Medi-cal,  that would not cover the surgery. 

My children were attending a Head Start Program in Anaheim and it is there where I met a wonderful woman named Rita Shokoohi.  She asked me what was going on as she noticed I was becoming more fatigue.  I mentioned to her what my situation was and she immediately referred me to a woman at Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove.  She told me that this person had been able to help her with other people she referred and maybe there would be a resource agency where I can referred to for assistance with my problem.  She thought maybe the family needed some counseling.   This was the beginning of my relationship with Chela Marin of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove.

Chela and I met in October of 2009.  She asked me many questions and told me that what I really needed was to get my pacemaker updated.  It was obviously affecting my life, as well as my family.  My children were scared that I would die.  Chela told me that it was important for me to stay healthy for my four children and that she would make it her priority to try to get help for me.  I gave her all my medical information, including the pacemaker company and the date of the implant.  She began to make lots of phone calls and talked to several pacemaker companies, my cardiologist and finally the hospital.  She called me every time she had an update.  She put a great deal of work into this and after five months, she was finally able to get Guidant Pacemaker Company, my cardiologist and Fountain Valley Hospital to perform my surgery and necessary intervention done at no cost.  It was amazing, a real dream come true, a miracle.  I couldn’t believe it, but I also knew that God put her in my life for a reason.  She was my “real angel on earth”. That is what my children call her, their angel.

Life After the Surgery

In February 2010, the surgery was performed by Dr. Arvid Nirula at Fountain Valley Hospital.  A new Guidant pacemaker generator was inserted and I felt that I had been given a second chance at life.  I woke up from my surgery with my husband and Chela standing next to me and knowing that I had once again made it.  My recuperation was remarkable and I am now able to see my children laugh and play and enjoy their life, without thinking that “something bad” may happen to their mom.  I am not short of breath or fatigued.

Truly, I have no words to describe how grateful I am.  My family and I will always keep you all close in our hearts and prayers.  I ask God to bless all of you always.

Many thanks,

Maria Amaro

Chela: Muchas gracias por todo y que Dios los cuide y los llenen de bendiciones a todos. Alexis, Yair, Erik y Sandy.

A Letter of Thanks from Alexis Diaz, Maria's Son:

I am writing this to you because I wanted to thank you for helping my mom with the surgery. I think you guys are like angels that fell from above because you can do things what we can’t do and you did an awesome job. I think you guys are very brave to take a risk of saving a person’s life or taking them out of danger. I want mom healthy again. 

I am so happy that I want to give lots of thanks to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless you my Angel. Love, Alexis Diaz. 

Testimonial – Kelly Pijl, April Thompson, & Paige Rock

Written by Kelly Pijl
Girls Club Alumnae

My two sisters and I participated in some of the programs at the former “Girls Club” on Garden Grove Boulevard in the late 1970’s during our pre-teen years.The old house provided space for crafts, games and swimming! Growing up in a single-parent household, we were at loose ends during the summer months and looking for things to do. We lived down the street and around corner from the club, so at least once a week we would ride our bikes to the club.

April, a homemaker, marathon runner and tri-athlete, remembers the kitchen and cooking classes and making suckers with Karo syrup. She’s a great cook today!Paige, a single mother and hot springs-spa manager remembers the field trips and going to Newport Dunes. Her youngest son plays football at the Boys & Girls Clubs in the Lake Elisnore area.  

I am a working mother and an assistant director of a grant-making organization. I remember the all messy crafts and loud games, which may have led to my scrapbook and quilting hobbies.
 

There seemed to be a different activity in every room of the house, and there were many rooms in that old house. The house is gone now, but the memories we made at the Girls Club in Garden Grove are still with us.

Written by Cythina
3rd Grader at Main Branch

Main Branch has been my second home for 3 years now. I love the Club because there are a lot of fun activities such as computers, science, and sports. Kids should join the Club since it is open to everyone. The Boys & Girls Clubs bus can even pick up lot of kids from their schools. Plus, the Club is much more fun than staying at home. It’s easy to finish homework, especially since there are a lot of staff members ready to help.

My favorite activities are handball, tetherball, soccer, baseball, and volleyball. I am a champion at handball and baseball. In the second grade, I made a home run on one hit. Boys like to have me on their team, but I play sports for the fun of it, not for winning. If we lose, it’s okay. I am a good sport and tell the winning team they had a nice play.

The Club helps me stay active and focused on my dream. Since I was five years old, I wanted to become a professional dirt bike rider. I first learned how to ride a bicycle at two years old. My dad trusts me because when I fall it’s no big deal, I get back up. I wear all the equipment I need. I watch professionals and learn tricks such as knick-knacks and 360 degree flips. Anytime I get hurt, I just get back up and try again.

If you are thinking of joining the Club, don’t wait. Each day is filled with fun activities, new friends, friendly staff, and the extra support you need to reach your dreams.
 

Written by James J. Elizondo
Father of Boys & Girls Clubs member James and Alumni of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio, Calderon Branch

I grew up on the Westside of San Antonio, Texas, an area known to have an overabundance of crime, gangs, and shootings. In the early 1980’s, at the age of 11, my parents signed me up to attend Boys Club of Calderon Branch. Every morning I was dropped off at 7 a.m. and stayed until the Club closed each night, keeping me away from trouble and offering me a second home and safe haven. I had a blast being involved in activities and playing football, baseball, and basketball. 

What started out as meeting one kid, turned into a building an entire team.  There was Hector, Manuel, Jerry, Anthony, Oscar, Erick and Tony. Our friendship developed into a fraternity, a bond between kids who would one day become men. Three decades later, the faces and names of my counselors are still fresh in my memory, and my childhood friends are now my lifelong friends. Today we are all grown men, living good lives, being the best parents we can possibly be.  Among us our professions consist of law enforcement, marketing, construction, sales, coaching, military and medical and yes, parenting. Now, it’s our kids’ turn, to attend the Clubs and build the foundation for their solid future.

The Club has had an obvious, positive impact on my life. Now, I want my son to have the same experiences at Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. The Club allows him to interact with adults and peers, explore ideas, envision inventions, and absorb a wealth of information. At only 4 years old, he already knows he wants to become a “doctor who studies flies on the moon.” The Club is inspiring his dreams and improving his communication skills. In fact, he is the most persuasive person I know. 

One particular day he sternly told me, “Listen to my words. I want you to introduce me to Barack Obama.” In response to his request, I told him to write the President a letter. A few days later, he wrote one. So, with great honor on behalf of my son, I drafted a formal letter to the President.

 A few weeks later, James received his wish. The President of the United States introduced himself in a letter and signed photograph.

Thank you for allowing me to tell my story. In fact, it is I who should thank your organization for the skills and traits that I learned as a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs.  My story is what it is. I just want to share it in hopes of inspiring someone else.

Written by Jacqueline Teave

September 2008: Happy Little Family

Daddy worked full-time and Mommy stayed home with the baby when she was not working. In September 2008, the Teave family found a great house to rent, not only was the home beautiful, but they thought the landlords were also nice. Two months had passed and Mommy was starting a new job, Daddy's work was going well, and baby Boy had just started crawling.
 

November 2008: Foreclosure

Then, on one sunny day in November, Mommy, Daddy, and the baby all came home from a nice relaxing day only to find a FORECLOSURE notice taped to their front door. Devastated and confused, this little family decided to speak to the homeowners. According to them, everything would be just fine and the "BANK" had made a mistake on their home loan. So, this little family went on with their lives as usual expecting the homeowners would keep them updated.
 

February 2009: Mommy Laid-off & Pregnant
 

A few months had gone by and Baby Boy turned one, and started walking and talking. All in all, things were happy and normal in this small family. Until one sad day in February 2009, Mommy got laid off! Mommy's work was just too slow. Along with all the other hundreds of people getting laid off at the time, so did this Mommy. Being the way they were, this young family did not let one small bump in the road slow them down. So a couple months passed and things were looking better because Baby Boy was going to be a BIG BROTHER.
 

May 2009: Rock Bottom
 

Suddenly, when things were going so good, this small family's world came crashing down. The homeowners came and said “you have 3 days to get out,” we are being evicted. Three days! What? This family was shocked, scared, and worried for they had nowhere to go. They had just paid rent, the car payment, and the phone bill, so it was the worst time of the month financially. Since Daddy was working those next three days, Mommy and Baby Boy started packing.

Well, that third day came around and Mommy and Daddy had everything packed, but still had nowhere to live or put all their things. So mommy was forced to rent a U-haul. With the assistance of her sister, they packed the U-haul and what they could not lift they left for Daddy when he returned from work. (Keep in mind Mommy was four months pregnant at the time.)

Everything is packed and cleaned, so Mommy and Daddy went to talk to the homeowners and ask for their deposit back, at this time they were desperate for that deposit. But the homeowners refused to give it to them. So Mommy and Daddy went to the U-haul and put their sleeping baby into his car seat and prepared to sleep in the truck for that night. Well, no sheriff came that night to do the lock out as the homeowners had promised. Mommy and Daddy got some blankets and went back into the house and slept on the floor.

The next night Mommy was in terrible pain and went to the UCI emergency room, where she found out that in the process of all the packing and heavy lifting she had torn her uterus and now had internal bleeding. There was not much the doctors could do, so they sent this scared Mommy home, well to the floor of an empty house.

For the following few days they slept on the floor, until finally the sheriff came and did the lockout, now they really had nowhere to go. The kind neighbors across the street had so kindly given this young family enough money to put them up in a small hotel for a couple of nights.

At this time, Mommy was super sick with the flu, Daddy was working like crazy to get enough money to feed his small family for the next few days as they were officially on the streets. And Baby Boy you ask? Well he was a happy Boy on a usual basis, but this whole situation had made him so disoriented and cranky, he was not his happy little self. It was official this little family had come to rock bottom. They had run out of money for the hotel stay and food. So, to the car they went.
 

1 Week Later: Guardian Angel

When their resources had completely run out, another sweet neighbor had called a wonderful woman at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. Like a guardian Angel, this wonderful, caring, compassionate woman from the Boys & Girls Clubs pulled some strings and was able to get the family sponsored for a hotel stay for a few days. This Guardian Angel kept tabs and checked in with them every day, making sure they were okay and at the same time, trying all she could to find them a place to stay. When the hotel stay was over, back to the car it was. So Mommy, Daddy and Baby Boy spent the night in the car.

The next day, the Guardian Angel had great news. She secured for us an affordable apartment and set us up food and basic necessities. Things were finally looking better. Mommy and Daddy were settled into their new place and at the same time keeping in touch with this Guardian Angel.
 

June 2009: Gratitude
 

Well, the day came when Mommy and Daddy went down to the Boys & Girls Clubs to say thank you and were able to meet this wonderful lady face-to-face for the first time. The meeting was a beautiful thing. If it was not for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, who knows what would have become of this small family. The Boys & Girls Clubs was such a blessing, so kind and considerate that this family could not thank them enough.
 

August 2009: Life is Wonderful
 

How is this young family today? Wonderful! Baby Boy is going to be a Big Brother! Mommy is due any day now. While Daddy is still working so hard to support his family, mommy is actively searching for a job and chasing a happy Boy around the house. As for the Guardian Angel you ask ... they remain friends and keep each other updated at least once a month.

This is a happy ending to a sad story. But this happy ending would not have been possible without the help of the good people at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. A sincere thank you to all the people who helped this family out, they are forever grateful.