OPERATION NOEL: Family’s bond grows stronger after little girl diagnosed with Leukemia

“Your daughter has leukemia.”

Hearing those words would be the lowest point many people ever endure. Add to that the financial and emotional burden of caring for a gravely ill child, and it could tear some families apart.

But one El Paso family has found a way to make that moment the start of something new and beautiful.

Norma Rivera spends a typical Tuesday afternoon washing the dishes while her children draw and do their homework. But this hasn’t always been the case.

“When doctors told us our daughter had leukemia, it was tough on all of us,” said Rivera. “I had to leave my job to tend to her in the hospital. My husband lost his job for a while as he was always with us. Not only did our financial situation change but our emotional state was changed.”

Norma’s youngest daughter, 6-year-old Veronica, and her family have learned to adapt to Veronica’s illness. And because of it, the family said it has gotten closer than ever before.

“My other daughters have had to adapt and it’s tough because they are young,” said Rivera. “They’ve had to mature quickly. They would come home to an empty home when I was at the hospital…seeing their sister has helped them mature.”

14-year-old Destiny Rivera has learned not to put herself first. She tries to be there for her sister in any way she can. “In the situation that we’re living in right now, I just have to be happy with her because I can’t show her that I’m sad,” said Destiny. She added, “Right now I’m just trying to live happy with them.”

Destiny is not asking for a new phone this year, or games. Her only Christmas gift request is that her family stay together and pull through.

“I don’t want them to separate because of my sister’s illness and all that,” said Destiny. “I just want my family to stick together.”

The gift of a jacket this Christmas means one less thing to worry about in the Rivera household.

“It’s help for us because we don’t have to waste that much money on jackets. Because sometimes my mom has to buy medicine for my sister, so that’s a great help for us.”

ANNUAL TELETHON

ABC-7’S Annual Operation Noel Telethon will be Thursday. A donation of $13.50 will help pay for one jacket.

You can donate by clicking here.

For more than 70 years, Operation Noel has looked out for some of our area’s neediest children.

The charity has evolved over the years, but its primary mission today is to provide new winter coats to more than 20,000 children in the region whose families cannot afford to buy the coats for them. This is possible through community donations both individual and corporate. One hundred percent of the donations go toward paying the bill for the new coats, which is approximately $270,000.00, or approximately $13.50 per coat.

For many area children, Operation Noel is their only hope of getting a new winter coat. Over the years, we have heard of Operation Noel coats being passed on to younger children in the family.