6 SoCal siblings living away from mom as she battles stage 4 cancer get big Christmas surprise
By Christiane Cordero
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LANCASTER, California (KABC) — A Southern California mother battling stage 4 cancer doesn’t have to worry about Christmas gifts for her six children this year, thanks to ABC7’s generous “Spark of Love” donors.
Brandy Mancera’s children are currently staying with their grandparents while she gets treatment at UCLA with her husband by her side. The 34-year-old has metastatic bladder cancer, and started her first round of chemo last week.
“It’s hard to see her in pain and just doing all this crying and stuff, but now she’s really starting to manage her pain,” said Mancera’s mother, Rosa Ruiz.
The physical and emotional pain has taken a toll on everyone, including Mancera’s 11-year-old daughter Kayleen – the only girl of the six children.
“I feel like when she’s in the hospital by herself and stuff, I feel like she feels alone because she has never been apart from her kids for a long time,” said the girl.
Despite the life-changing diagnosis, the family’s home got a little brighter Monday with a few more gifts underneath their tree, donated through our “Spark of Love” campaign.
“It felt really good to bring a little bit of joy and hope to them,” said Los Angeles County Fire Captain Ryan Jameson.
Northgate Market also donated groceries to the Mancera family along with $400.
“This can help them pay some utility bills, medical bills, gifts for the holidays that they knew they weren’t going to be able to afford, it feels great,” said Teresa Blanco, the Director of Community Engagement and Wellness for Northgate Market.
Kayleen said getting presents feels nice, but she and her brothers just want one more thing: their mother.
“[I would tell her] that I miss her and I wish she was spending time with us even more,” said Kayleen.
That is the plan – to spend more time with each other as much time as possible.
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