Still Humbly Requesting Your Prayers and Your Help for Baladeva and Ch

[Guest guest]

Dear Worldwide Community of Devotees,

 

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. We

are writing to make you aware of the unfortunate situation involving

Baladeva dasa and his wife, Bhaktin Christina, that is unfolding here in the

Greater Alachua community, and to appeal to all of you for your help.

 

Bala (Peruvian Baladeva Torres) is a Mayapura gurukuli. He did service for

the Alachua Temple and, in addition, is known throughout North America for

his many years of faithfully assisting Rtadhvaja Swami with the annual

"summer trip" - taking dozens of devotee boys to Ratha-yatras all over the

continent and helping with the service of setting up and breaking down of

the Festival of India.

 

Recently, Bala's wife Christina, age 23, who, as of this writing is 6 1/2

months pregnant with a baby daughter, was diagnosed to be in the advanced

stages (Stage 4) of cervical cancer, which has spread to her ovaries,

bladder, kidneys and left lung. Christina was initially diagnosed with

cancer six months ago, and at that time she was given two choices: either

she could take the chemotherapy and radiation treatments that could possibly

save her life but would kill her unborn child, or she could decline

treatment and let the baby live, in which case she (Christina) would

probably die at childbirth or shortly thereafter, according to her doctors.

Christina decided against treatment so that her baby could live. Thus she

is existing in an extremely debilitated state and suffering excruciating

pain, just trying to make it through the pregnancy.

 

Christina is undergoing a strict regimen of natural treatments and following

a healthy diet in order to maintain her nutrition for her own sake and for

the sake of her daughter. Then, when the baby is born, she will immediately

begin standard treatment in an attempt to eliminate the cancer. Of course,

no one can predict what will happen, but devotees and friends around the

world are praying for Christina, Bala and their baby, hoping that they may

all survive this ordeal.

 

Up until very recently, Bala had continued to work 60 hours per week in

order to pay for their household expenses and for Christina's care. Bala's

lifelong friend, Madhvacarya, left his job in Canada and came to Florida in

order to assist in caring for Christina. But Bala was forced to stop

working in order to care for his wife as her condition worsened. Numerous

donations have come in so far to help them, but they remain in a desperate

financial situation.

 

A monetary collection, organized by Kirtiraja dasa, has been taken up to

cover their living expenses so that Bala can remain at home and spend what

may possibly be the last few months of Christina's life caring for her and

preparing for the baby's birth. We humbly and urgently appeal to one and

all to please contribute whatever you can to help this young couple, keeping

in mind that if Christina does not survive the birth of their daughter, Bala

will be left as a single father to care for and provide for their baby girl.

 

Donations may be made by check, cash or money order, with checks and money

orders made payable to the: OSCAR A. AND CHRISTINA M. TORRES FUND. Those

gifts may be sent to: ISKCON Alachua, P.O. Box 819, Alachua, Florida 32616,

USA.

 

Those individuals wishing to send their gifts by bank wire transfer may do

so by sending them to:

 

Oscar A. and Christina M. Torres Fund

Bank of America Account #: 8980 0416 7025

Wire Transfer Routing Number: 026009593

Bank Routing Number: 063000047

 

Those individuals wishing to send their gift via Paypal made do by going to

www.christinatorresfund.com and click on "Make a Donation."

 

Please be informed that your gift for the care and well-being of Christina,

Bala and their daughter is NOT tax-deductible.

 

We thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and your

help, and we remain

 

 

 

Your servants,

 

 

 

Dhanistha devi dasi

 

Kirtiraja dasa

 

Lalita Madhava devi dasi

 

Madhvacarya dasa

 

Radha-priya devi dasi

 

 

 

We may be contacted via email at bala.christina.torres . For

anyone wishing to speak with us personally, please send an email to the

above address with your phone number and one of us will call you as soon as

possible. Thank you again.

 

 

 

P.S. We have just learned that during Christina's recent medical check-up,

the doctor found that the cancer has miraculously disappeared from her lung.

Thank you to the devotees around the world for their prayers! While this

is a significant improvement, she is still in a very serious condition and

we humbly ask for your continued prayers and support.