Fatima’s Story – The Power of Grace in the Battle for Life
From the moment Fatima was born, her life was marked by both mystery and miracle. The youngest of two daughters, she entered the world with visible differences like smaller hands, missing thumbs, and heart problems that would soon lead her family on a long and winding journey through doctor visits, tests, and unanswered questions.
Her mother, Marina, remembers it all vividly. “Right after she was born, the doctors knew something wasn’t right. We started seeing specialists. Cardiologists, geneticists, so many. Everyone tried to understand what was happening inside her little body.”
By age four, in hopes of helping Fatima through a possible bone marrow transplant, Marina and her husband considered having another child. It was during this time that doctors finally put a name to her condition: Fanconi Anemia with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a rare form of anemia that causes bone marrow failure and leads to dangerous tumors in the head and neck. They were told that many children with her condition do not live long. But Fatima defied those odds, growing, thriving, and pushing forward with courage. She was eleven when she began care at Texas Children’s Hospital. Over time, her condition stabilized, until it did not. In 2024, her bone marrow began to fail again. A transplant was no longer an option. It became a necessity.
Their journey to the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit was filled with challenges. Delays in scheduling, the discovery of a leg infection that nearly stopped the transplant, and intense treatments to prepare her body. But on April 8, 2025, Fatima received her transplant. Her blood pressure spiked, complications followed, but through it all, she pressed on. “To me, when she received her transplant, it was like she was born again,” Marina shared, tears in her eyes. “Like God had placed her in a crystal bubble. So fragile, so precious, and so full of hope. We live day by day, waiting on results, praying they are good, and just trying to survive this dream-like state we are living in while the rest of the world moves on.”
That is when His Grace Foundation came into their lives. The family had left everything behind in Laredo. Marina quit her job, their older daughter stayed behind, and her husband began working remotely to stay by their side. The emotional toll was heavy, but the financial burden was crushing. When a social worker mentioned His Grace Foundation, Marina did not know what to expect. But soon, the Foundation provided housing support, meals, and emotional encouragement that lifted their spirits in profound ways. “You all fell from the sky,” Marina said. “God’s angels on earth. The stress, the fear, the feeling of being alone—it all became lighter because of you.”
She remembers one moment in particular, when Lisa, the Executive Director of His Grace Foundation, walked into their hospital room. “She gave me a hug. I was having a terrible day. Completely defeated. And that hug, it filled my heart. It reminded me that we were not alone.” Fatima’s days were brightened by meals and activities tailored to her interests. The whole family found moments of peace amid the chaos thanks to the Foundation’s thoughtful presence. “You all illuminate the room when you arrive. It is the food, the activities, the details, but really, it is the joy you bring.”
For Marina, being a mother on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit means showing up with unshakable strength. “We are the ones giving medicine, cleaning up when they are sick, watching every detail, and trying to stay brave when we are terrified. Moms have to be the pillar. The Superwoman. For their child.” But no pillar stands alone. “His Grace Foundation is our connection to the outside world,” she says. “You have helped us emotionally, spiritually, and physically. You have given us a light in one of the darkest moments of our lives.”
To the donors, volunteers, and staff who make this work possible, Marina has just one message. “Thank you. What you do may cost time, money, and heart, but you fill families like ours with hope. You are doing something so necessary, so beautiful, and it will never be forgotten.” As for the future? “I hope one day we can give back what you have given us. You have shown us what grace looks like. You have given us hope, when that was all we had left.”
