Gracias - Dahlia's 1st Birthday

Friends & Family,

We want to take a minute to thank all those who joined us this past Sunday for Dahlia’s Baptism & Celebration of her 1st year of life. I also want to thank all of those who could not make it but sent their best wishes.

We missed those of you who could not attend and hope to see all of you soon.

Gracias,
Pedro & Rosalina Anaya

Update on the Job Search

It has been a while I have written and since then a few good things have happened. First of all my father finally got out of the hospital, after spending over two weeks at UCSD. They fought of the virus that he initially went in for and while at it he left with a new pacemaker/difibulator, sort of an upgrade to his old pacemaker. He is still a little week but on his way to a full recovery. Since my last update I have had two final interviews with two diffren organizations.

I don’t think my interview with the first organization went really well. To be frank it is not were I would like to end up, but hey it’s a job. I feel I was a little to honest when asked if I could meet their fundraising goals for the year. I noticed that they have projected to triple their goals for this fiscal year in an economy that may not support it. Times are changing and the way fundraising worked just five years ago will not work in the upcoming years as philanthropist tighten their budgets. It will no longer be enough to have a great cause or great program. Board involvement, evaluation, objectives and goals, marketing, and stewardship will need to be part of a combined strategy. Those organizations that do not diversify their funding sources and nurture all those sources will quickly sink. Those organizations with unrealistic goals and no plans are doomed to fail, “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Don’t get me wrong could I develop that culture, I could but triple their development funds in one year….that’s a pretty tall order; just being realistic considering they have not met their goals over the last three years.

On the other hand the second interview went amazing. I think I made an impression. I did find out that originally they had a candidate pool of 50 qualified candidates, which they narrowed down to eight, and now they are down to three of us. I have heard a rumor that they have contacted some of you as my references, which is a move in the right direction! I think I can make an impact with this organization. Public Health is something I hold dear and of course access to health solutions for all is something I deeply believe in. Too much money is being spent on drugs to treat diabetes, cardiac problems, drug abuse, etc. What we nee to do is provide a prescription for better public health and support programs on the front end. I listened to a doctor speak last night and he made a great point, “a doctors office is not where we should go to get healthy,” We need more parks, supported recreation centers, programs that educate our communities on staying healthy. Our families need safe communities where they don’t feel afraid of spending time with their family’s outdoors. There needs to be healthy food options in the communities where they live. In the case that they do need treatment or support services those need to be there and easy to access regardless of any barriers.

Finally I have to get on my soap box a little bit. Over the last few weeks as I have traversed the world of the unemployed and support systems I have been disappointed by what I have seen. I have seen children turned away from services, rude and inconsiderate staff, and a bureaucracy that should not be. Did you know that in the world of MediCal there is a difference between “eligible” and “qualified,” it all seems so subjective?” I am fortunate I have a voice and when I see an injustice I can defend myself and my family but over the last few weeks I have been saddened by the treatment of members of our community. I keep thinking to myself that it’s hard enough to ask for help, especially when there are language and cultural variables, why do we as a community make it harder for individuals who are already struggling. What has happened to the compassion and respect that all people deserve? Being unemployed has been a great opportunity and reminder as to what our community goes through. I am blessed to have had this experience and makes me thankful for what my family went through when I was baby and for what thousands families go through everyday.

On behalf of me and my family thank you for all your help. Your support has been invaluable for the last two months. My Daughter (picuted to the left) celebrates her first birthday this Saturday and will also be baptized. That milestone has made me reflect on the last year, my family is so blessed to have come in contact with each of you!

The Miracle Know as My Dad

My dad entered the hospital last Sunday morning (Septmebr 28) and has been there ever since. After over a week of treatment, me raising hell with hospital administration, and lots of prayers it seems like he will be coming home soon. For those of you who don’t know my dad is a pretty incredible medical case. He suffers from an illness that is not very well known even by Doctors called Fabrys disease. For those interested you can visit a wikiepedia link on it by clicking here. Fourteen years ago he received a kidney transplant after his kidneys failed due to the decease. More recently his other organs have become affected by the decease leading to heart attacks, strokes, and abdominal issues. Mostly under control thanks to an enzyme replacement therapy he is stable but when he does get ill it is an adventure. Attending UCSD (A teaching hospital) he is visited by every single doctor wishing to learn more. In addition with the decease affecting every major organ every specialist team is involved in his treatment which often time gets cumbersome and confusing as they provide treatment. Long story short he went in for abdominal pain and diarrhea and since being at the hospital he has been treated for heart palpitations, bacteria affecting the colon, intestines and the transplant kidney, dehydration, and pneumonia caused by the doctors over hydrating him. A week later he is finally pain free, re-hydrating, and once again able to breathe without oxygen. After a whole week of not eating he has his appetite back and Doctors have said they have no clue what started it all. Just yeesterday he had 3 full, but light, meals. This morning he went through a cardio stress test as doctors have decided they will use this hospital visit to "install" a defibulator in his heart to deal with the palpitations. I estimate my dad will be out of the hospital by this upcoming weekend after spending nearly two weeks in the hospital.