Thanks to you, Ari and Anahi were able to enjoy a break at summer camp away from the daily challenges of caretaking their grandmother living with HIV.
Because of your gift, sisters Aridahi (Ari) and Anahi are able to enjoy summer camp away from the daily responsibilities of helping to care for their grandmother who is living with HIV/AIDS–a challenge for a caregiver of any age. Anahi first flew with AFW to Camp Heartland in 2014 when she was 12, and Ari in 2017 when she was 15. They were even younger when their grandmother needed care and came to live with their family. Both girls are now going to college.
Their mom Lorena supplies most of the caretaking but the girls help their mom with daily tasks and ongoing research for new treatments. Because of the considerable time involved, Lorena missed many of her kids’ events and often couldn’t pick them up from school. This kind of illness consumes all of their lives.
Thanks to you, the girls finally get time away from it all at summer camp with other kids facing a similar situation. Aridahi says, “Camp is a place where I can escape to. Without AFW, we probably wouldn’t be able to go.” Anahi adds, “Camp allows me to to express myself without judgment. It makes me feel comfortable especially with something that’s impacted all of us.”
