[ad_1]
Julio Flores was the director of the Boys and Girls Club William E. Cope branch for about 11 years before moving to Puerto Rico with his wife in 2021.
DENVER — A former director of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver is stuck in Puerto Rico, in desperate need of a heart transplant.
Julio Flores was the director of the Boys and Girls Club William E. Cope branch for about 11 years before moving to Puerto Rico with his wife in 2021.
Prior to that, he worked at various branches as a volunteer, referee and eventual staff member. He was also a former member of a Boys and Girls Club branch. His involvement with the organization spans three decades.
“You could tell that was his passion. Once he was finally coaching and being with the kids, that’s what really changed him a lot, and he just enjoyed, like filled his heart,” his daughter Demitria Flores said.
After giving so much to the Denver community, Flores desperately needs the community to give to him.
“He was diagnosed with a rare heart disease called myocarditis and they think that actually stems back from COVID when he got COVID back in 2020,” Demitria Flores said. “It was essentially eating away at his heart.”
Julio Flores was sent home with medicine but was rushed back to the hospital weeks later. His family said his doctors told him his heart was operating at 20%. They said he needed a transplant, and likely needed it stateside, which means he also would need an air ambulance with a price tag most families can’t afford.
“He’s been in there for 50 days now with really not much other than ‘you need a heart transplant,’ and now they’re saying he might need a kidney transplant and we’re kind of just trying to figure out the best options and help,” Demitria Flores said. “We’re just begging for whatever we can get right now to keep him alive, really.”
Flores wants to keep her father alive to create memories with someone new. She’s nine months pregnant.
“I’m due any day now, and I can’t go see my father,” she said. “I have to remind myself that you have to stay calm and you have things here you got to do for the baby.”
Flores hopes her father is able to make memories with her baby on the way. She said he just needs support from the community to do that.
“My dad just turned 50 and he’s young. I mean, I made comments like that’s the perks of having a young parent, right? You expect them to be around for a while, so just thinking that that’s not a possibility is just shocking,” she said. “We’re really in desperate need of help.”
Friends and family members hosted a fundraiser for Julio on Saturday. They collected $2,000. They have set up a GoFundMe and are looking to raise $50,000 for the air ambulance to get him back to Denver.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
[ad_2]
Source link
