Alejandro

Alejandro is an aspiring mechanic who lives in Arlington with his parents and three siblings. A naturally outgoing teen, he loves playing the guitar and spending time with friends. Alejandro is very sociable,” his mother shared with a smile. He was also an active member of the track team at Sam Houston High School, where he enjoyed pushing himself and being part of a team.

Last fall, Alejandro began experiencing a painful pilonidal cyst that steadily worsened. His mother did everything she could at home—applying ointments and giving him ibuprofen—but the pain persisted. “When the cyst appeared,” she recalled, “my son stopped going out and socializing as much since the wound would bleed and he felt uncomfortable.” Eventually, the discomfort became so severe that Alejandro had to leave the track team he loved. For three long months, he endured the pain before the family was able to schedule an evaluation with JPS Health Network, which led to a referral to Cook Children’s Medical Center.

The news they received there was overwhelming: Alejandro needed surgery. “It was shocking,” his mother said. “We were not expecting that news.” Without health insurance, and ineligible for CHIP or Medicaid due to his citizenship status, the family was faced with an impossible situation. The cost of surgery was $32,000, with a required 50% deposit just to schedule the procedure. “I do not have the funds, and we have four children to support,” his mother explained. Even with her husband’s steady work as a butcher, the cost was far beyond their reach.

Still, Alejandro’s story did not end there.

His care team at Cook Children’s connected the family with Gill Children’s Services, opening the door to hope. “It would have taken years to save up enough for just the down payment,” his mother said. Through generous discounts from Cook Children’s and the support of compassionate donors, the cost of Alejandro’s surgery was reduced from $32,000 to $1,900. Determined to be part of the solution, Alejandro’s family contributed $400 toward the procedure.

“I am very thankful to Gill for helping us,” his mother said. “Because if it wasn’t for Gill, I don’t know what we would have done.”

With the burden lifted, Alejandro’s mother no longer had to watch her son suffer without options. Instead, their family could focus on healing, hope, and the future ahead. “I would say thank you very much for supporting low-income families,” she shared. “Please continue helping more people like us, and I wish there were more programs like Gill.”