Veronica’s story
Veronica Gutierrez
Hi friends
The Flowers for Sick People project has put me in touch with a dizzying number of heartbreaking—and heartwarming—stories from people around the world. One of them is the almost impossibly sad story of Veronica Gutierrez, a 29-yr old woman from rural New Mexico who recently died from Covid. When her family finally figured out which hospital she’d been taken to, they could only see her through the window of her room using a step ladder. Her siblings gathered for Thanksgiving outside her room, and she passed away two weeks later. Her belongings were lost in transit and have not been recovered. The family cannot afford to pay the hospital and funeral bills. This is of course only one story of many, but I’d like to help them. And I’d like your help to do it.
Veronica’s sister Victoria made the initial request for a flower painting when Veronica was first hospitalized, and has kept me updated on her story. I asked if I could help raise some money for the family, and she agreed.
I asked Victoria to tell me more about her sister, and she wrote this:
We’re a family of six with four siblings, Veronica being the youngest. We’re born and raised from a small southeastern town from Lovington in New Mexico. Veronica was definitely a beautiful soul. She was selfless, compassionate, and a true empath. Without sounding cliché she was honestly my best friend. A great example of how selfless she truly was is when she’d want to go to the mall and shop for herself but by the end of the trip she wouldn’t end up buying anything for herself and ended up buying something for everyone else. She was a part time substitute teacher and worked with special needs children for 1 year at our local middle school. Then from there she worked at KFC for four years. She was very gifted. She loved to draw, paint, do model clay, write short stories, watch anime, play video games, watch TikToks. She had an odd obsession with flamingos. I couldn’t explain why the fascination.
You can learn more about Veronica’s story in two local newspaper articles:
Please consider donating at Veronica’s Gofundme page here.
For every donation you make, no matter the amount, I will send you an original small flower painting as a postcard. Just email fsp@tuckernichols.com with a screenshot of proof of your donation along with your mailing address.
One of this country’s very best attributes is how we take care of other people when they need it. Let’s extend that attitude to the Gutierrez family. Maybe it can spawn support for other people desperately in need these days.
Thank you,
Tucker
