My grandma was just diagnosed with stage 3 cancer but she lives in the Dominican Republic, and he hasn’t seen her in over 26 years. We’re running out of time.

Hi, my name is Dejalena. I’m 19 years old, and I’m reaching out because my family is facing an incredibly urgent and heartbreaking situation.

For over a decade, my dad, Jose, has endured relentless abuse, harassment, and false accusations from my mother. This nightmare started when I was just 10. She voluntarily gave custody of my brother and me to our dad, only to change her mind five days later. She retaliated by filing false police reports and having him arrested. I will never forget watching my father get handcuffed in front of us during a garage sale. I was 10. My brother Nico was only 4.

Though a judge cleared him after 60 days, the trauma lasted much longer. Since then, my mother has continued to manipulate and harm us, only appearing when it benefits her. She’s spread lies about my dad, involved other people in harassing him, and even admitted to theft after getting caught.

My dad has given up everything to protect us — his peace, his freedom, his career, and most heartbreakingly, his relationship with his mother. He hasn’t seen her since he left the Dominican Republic over two decades ago. And now… she’s dying of cancer.

This might be the only chance he has to say goodbye — and the only chance my brother and I have to meet our grandmother.

Over the years, my dad has sacrificed everything. He walked away from a $1.5 million restaurant deal just to keep us safe. He paid $6,000 out of pocket to win full custody after years of instability, abuse, and danger. And still, the attacks haven’t stopped.

In 2023, just two weeks before I was set to leave for college at Western Michigan University, my mom began sleeping in her car and demanded to move into our home. When my dad refused, for our safety, the threats and harassment escalated again.

My dad has spent over $600,000 fighting to give us a better life. He’s done it all while being cut off from his own family, including the mother he loves, who is now slipping away from this world.

We are blessed to be able to get this far and we plan to go further.

I’m asking for your help — not just for me, but for my dad, my baby brother Nico, and the grandmother we've never met.

Your support will help us:

• Take critical legal action to stop the harassment and secure our safety
• Relocate to a stable home where we can finally live in peace
• Reunite my dad with his dying mother before it’s too late
• Help me return to college and pursue a law degree — a dream I’ve put on hold to support my family

This is more than a fundraiser. This is our fight for healing, safety, and closure. We’re a small family that has fought silently for years. Now we’re asking — boldly and publicly — for help.

Whether it’s $5 or $50,000, every single donation helps bring hope, safety, and dignity back into our lives.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. Thank you for standing with us.

With deep gratitude,

Dejalena, Nico, and Jose