Minister wants to see family

Help Me Make My Final Wish Come True

My name is Minister Gina Martinez-Perez, and I'm reaching out with a humble heart to ask for help making one final dream come true.

I have been battling stage 4 carcinoma for years. After fighting with everything I have through treatments, hospital stays, surgeries, and more difficult days than I can count, I was recently told by my doctors that there is nothing more they can do medically and that it is time for hospice care to help keep me comfortable and pain-free.

As a minister, I have spent much of my life praying for others, encouraging people through their struggles, and helping families through some of life's hardest moments. Today, I find myself facing one of those moments.

Before receiving this heartbreaking news, I endured another unimaginable tragedy. I was in a diabetic coma for an entire month, fighting for my life. While I was in that coma, my only son, Lino, who was just 21 years old, was murdered.

During my coma, I experienced something that has remained with me every day since. I found myself in a place filled with loud music and flashing lights. Then my son Lino appeared and gently took me by the hand. He led me away from all the noise and into a quiet room that was completely white and peaceful.

He asked me to sit down and told me he would be back.

I remember saying, "No, Lino, I want to go with you."

He looked at me and said, "You can't, Mom, but I will be back to get you. I promise."

When he closed the door, I woke up in the hospital.

The first devastating thing I learned was that my son had been taken from me while I was unconscious. Losing my only son, Lino, at just 21 years old is a heartbreak that words cannot fully describe. Every day I carry the pain of that loss, but I also carry the love I have for him and the memories we shared.

Now, as I face my own final journey, I find myself thinking about what matters most: family, love, faith, and the memories we leave behind.

Before my time comes, I have one special wish. I want to travel to Iowa and Colorado to see family members that I have not seen in 36 years. Being able to hug them again, sit and talk together, laugh, pray, share stories, and make precious memories would mean more to me than words can express.

I hope to make this trip by car so I can enjoy the journey, see places I've never seen before, and spend whatever time I have left creating beautiful memories with the people I love.

This trip is not simply a vacation. It is an opportunity to reconnect with family, find peace, celebrate life, and make memories that will stay with all of us forever.

I am asking for help raising funds to cover travel expenses including gas, lodging, food, transportation costs, and other necessities needed to make this journey possible and comfortable.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small, I would be deeply grateful. If you are unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser would mean the world to me. Most of all, I ask for your prayers. Any and all prayers are sincerely appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Thank you for your kindness, your support, and your prayers. Every act of generosity brings me one step closer to making this final wish come true.

May God bless you for your compassion and generosity.

With love, gratitude, and blessings,

Minister Gina Martinez-Perez