My Story

Hello! This is Maria Inocenta Fuentes Garcia, and I am writing this letter to tell you a little about my life. I was born on December 28, 1940, so I am now 83 years old. I am a widow. My husband’s name was Marco Antonio Torres, and he passed away 35 years ago. I had four children with him; three sons and one daughter. They are all adults and have their own families, so they do not come to visit me frequently. I do not work, but I collect carton boxes and bottles to sell for recycling. I receive some economic support from my son, Israel Torres, who is a mechanic. He comes to visit me every Sunday and eats lunch with me. I am frequently in need of food, groceries and medical attention. I am a Catholic person. I walk for 15 minutes to arrive at the feeding program.

I live with two sisters and four nephews; the house is not mine. The house has four rooms and one kitchen, so we all share the kitchen. The house is made of tin sheets with a dirt floor. We have running water and electricity service, and my sisters and nephews pay these bills. My relatives go out to work, so I stay alone most of the time. It worries my family because my health condition is not so good. I can barely hear, suffer from high pressure, and need a surgery because I have a hernia in my stomach. At the moment, I am under medical care in the local public hospital, so that I can have my surgery. I only use one of the house’s rooms, but it is not in good condition. My room is falling down on one of the sides, but I have not fixed it because I do not have the resources to buy new wood. I am praying to God so that He provides me the resources to fix my room.

I thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and I hope you find it interesting. May God bless you always!

Cordially yours

Maria Inocenta Fuentes Garcia

Written by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary / Antigua