María is from Concepción, Chile. She is 60 years old and has been living in the UK for over 10 years now. She has a good character, and has helped clean my flat over the last 6 years. She is trustworthy and reliable, and I have grown close to her over this time.

Recently, María was diagnosed with Bone Sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects less than 500 people in the UK annually, with a survival rate of 55%. Her treatment will require the amputation of her right leg, which will have a considerable impact on her ability to work in her usual occupation.

To survive, María will need new training to acquire new skills, as well as to improve her English. Due to the pain in her leg, she had to stop working five months ago, and is now preparing for her surgery. She does not have savings, she does not have a stable place to live, and she does not have family or a strong support network to rely upon.

The funds raised here, therefore, will be used to help her with basic needs such as food and shelter, as well as to improve her English skills and take on new training, so that she might support herself in the future.

Anyone who has lived in a foreign country will appreciate the challenges faced everyday and the importance of support networks - a role which we must assume to help her. To those who can relate to this cause, please assist María with the same positive energy she is using to approach her own situation. My main objective is to help her have options in the near and medium term.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate everything you do to help me help Maria!

10% of raised funds will be donated to http://www.ladpp.org.uk/ and to https://sarcoma.org.uk/