Project Marcelo

Hello all! As we mentioned on our previous update, Diego was granted a special visa to travel to the United States to receive medical care. Eager to embark on their life changing journey, Diego arrived to South Florida on Wednesday, April 16 and we finally had the honor of meeting him and his courageous mother, Yani.

Although Diego was scheduled for the weeklong evaluation at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital the following Monday, many questions remained about what would happen once the $35,000 evaluation was complete. For some time, Diego’s family contemplated taking him to Boston Children’s Hospital (B*H), which according to their website is “the world’s oldest, largest and most experienced pediatric neurology program”. There Diego and his family would not only have the support of relatives, who are long time residents of the city, but also the potential for significantly more affordable care. After much consideration, Diego’s family decided to explore that route and postpone admission into Nicklaus Children’s Hospital until they fully understood all the options available to them in Massachusetts.

Wasting no time at all, Diego’s family flew to Boston the following day. Sadly, soon after their arrival, Diego’s health took a turn for the worse and was taken to the B*H Emergency Room where he was placed in intensive care to treat a lung infection. It was not until a few days ago that he was finally stabilized and we felt that an update was appropriate.

We at Project Marcelo, out of respect, have granted their family privacy and all the space they need to freely decide what they feel is best for their future. We will also continue to provide the family any support we could and are fully committed to allocating all of the funds raised for to aide them by paying their medical providers any medical expenses they might incur along the way. Although their new journey is just underway, we all feel that Diego is finally receiving the attention that he deserves and are deeply grateful for all who have helped make this a reality. We feel this mission was a great success and are certain that Diego is on his way to a brighter future. Although we are no longer accepting donations for , we ask that you keep Diego and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Please stay tuned for updates and for news regarding our future endeavors which are already underway!

Repost due to PayPal Link Technical difficulties:


We are very excited to announce that is on the final leg of its journey. We are only $5,000.00 away from the $35,000.00 goal! Diego's Visa to travel to the United States has been approved and a tentative date for his week long evaluation at Nicklaus Children's Hospital (formerly Miami Children's Hospital) has been set for the end of April. If you have not yet donated, simply follow the link below and remember no amount is too small!

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9GR6Y9R95LC8W

As we work hard to make a big final push, we ask that you please 'Like' and 'Share' this post to continue spreading the word. Thanks again to all who have participated in this mission. We simply cannot wait to share his arrival with you all!

**100% of proceeds go directly to Diego's treatment**

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Hi Everyone!! Thanks again for all your support. For those of you who have contacted us, we have corrected the issue we were experiencing with the PayPal link that we shared yesterday..our apologies! You can now use the link included here or the one on yesterday's post...thanks again for your support!

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9GR6Y9R95LC8W

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Here are the pictures of the event courtesy of Evan Rich Photography. Thank you Evan!! Thank you again to everyone that attended the event and all of you that have supported this mission. We also want to give a special mention to all of our event volunteers. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you Floribel Maldonado Pagán, Jennifer Farias, Olga Fagundo-Esau, Yiya Johnson, Cristy Romero, Ariannie Pena-Aleman, Farah Viota, Taire Souza, Martha Cangas, Frances Depolanco, Joey Mugica, Jorge Calderon, and Ema.

We are still working hard to reach our goal. Stay tuned for updates coming up next week. For all of you that would like to help us complete the mission the following is the paypal link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9GR6Y9R95LC8W

Project Marcelo would like to congratulate Diego's mother, Yani Martinez, and her family and friends in their efforts raise funds in the Dominican Republic to bring her son to Miami. Together, we are quickly approaching the 70% mark of the $35,000 goal!

Although we are very pleased with our progress, there is still work to be done. Remember every 'Share' or 'Like' makes a difference and if you have not yet donated, please know that NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL! Below is the link if you would like to be part of this great cause.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9GR6Y9R95LC8W

Here are some pictures of one of Yani's TV appearances to raise funds for her son.

Hi Everyone! We wanted to share with all of you Marcelo's feature story on the GiveForward blog. GiveForward is one of the top online fundraising websites and easiest ways to help a loved one in need in the United States. Marcelo was a GiveForward recipient himself, thanks to his aunt Gladys, and now one of their success stories. Please find below the article.

If you are wondering about , we are still working very hard to make it to the goal. It is not too late to be part of this mission. We are extremely thankful that the donations are still coming in. You can show your support by clicking on the following link:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9GR6Y9R95LC8W

So far, the launching of has been an extraordinary success! Yesterday alone, 200 attendees came to show their support and helped us raise just over $11,000.00...and the donations continue to come in! We still have work to do, but we are confident that together we will complete this mission. Once again, we send a big 'Thank you!' to all who have shown their support. For those of you who have requested the link to donate, you will find it here:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9GR6Y9R95LC8W

Remember, no amount is too small! Please continue to spread the word as we do everything on our end to make this a reality.

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takes off tomorrow and we cannot wait to see you there! Thanks again for all who have offered your support and for making this all possible! Doors open at 4pm at the ... And remember to adjust your clocks for Day Light Savings :)

United we can bring Diego to Miami Children's Hospital. Let's give him a chance to receive the quality of care he deserves. Join us this Sunday @ Blackbird Ordinary at 4 pm to be a part of something special. See you all there!!

Join Marcelo on his mission to bring Diego to Miami. takes off on Sunday, March 8 at 4pm @ - Silent Auction, Premium Raffle Prizes, Music and Free Cocktails from 4-7pm sponsors include among many others!