In March 2019, the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) received a special note from a single dad named Roberto Gonzalez who lives in Chicago. Roberto wrote to let us know the impact an Alyssa Starter Art Kit (SAK) had on his life. Roberto told us he has one boy and three teenage girls and feels blessed to have his children. He expressed his condolences for our loss of Alyssa. We know, however, that Alyssa has impacted his life forever since he received one of Alyssa’s SAKs.
Roberto was hospitalized for several weeks with 3 broken limbs and felt useless until one day when, as he said, “I rolled into my room and there was Alyssa’s Art Kit”. He told us the only good limb he had was his drawing hand and he started drawing that same day. It gave him hope for his situation and a deeper appreciation for his family.
The mission of AAFH is to give hope and provide an outlet for creative expression through art and music and this is exactly what was experienced by Roberto on March 16, 2019, while he was at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago’s premier rehabilitation center. Alyssa was admitted there back in 2014 and is a place the Alvin family will always remember for their attentive care.
And on another note of coming full circle and life’s mysteries, it was only last year that Alyssa’s cousins, Daniel and Alexis Guerrero, had made a delivery of Alyssa’s SAKs to the AbilityLab which ultimately landed with Roberto. We wish Roberto, his family and fellow patients all the best of health.
A photo of his special note is shown below and it provides a true testament of how Alyssa’s inspiration continues to bring family, friends and others interested in helping people together in her memory.
