Maria struggles to offer kids more

Maria has only one goal — to make her children’s lives better than her own.

She arrived from Guatemala 25 years ago. She had her first child soon after arriving in Quebec, and then three others. Her kids are age 25, 21, 18 and 11.

But while she was busy raising her children, she was caught in a nightmare: stuck in a marriage with a man she said was physically abusive toward her and their children.

“There was a lot of violence against me, and a lot of violence against our children as well,” she recalled emotionally.

She had a choice. Stay in a relationship that was abusive, or leave and be forced to raise four children as a single mother. She left.

That hasn’t been easy. Even though two of her children are now adults, her youngest has numerous health issues and learning disabilities. His problems have gotten so bad he is unable to attend school, with her home becoming a constant parade of social workers, tutors, and a speech therapist. They also regularly attend sessions with a child psychologist to help him. Because he’s not in school, her government aid payments have recently been cut, and she has to travel farther every week to buy groceries, scouring the flyers for the best deals.

“The constant appointments and travel take up all my time, and make my life so tiring. You can’t imagine how hard it is just to buy groceries. It’s gotten to the point I travel enormous distances to find the lowest prices so I can buy enough to eat.”

Maria and her family are among the thousands who will receive a $125 cheque from the Gazette Christmas Fund this year. The money helps to make the holiday season more cheerful for individuals and families in need.

She’s going to use the money to buy a turkey, and a few other food items, to give her family a proper Christmas meal. She hopes that telling her story will encourage donations to help other people as well.

“I’m hoping that telling my story can help, so that other people can benefit. There are so many people in need.”

In spite of her situation, she’s determined to make things better for her children.

“All this, I think has made me much stronger. I have dreams still. I made it to Canada, which is a country where you can accomplish anything. But right now, I have a lot of obstacles.

“But I want my kids to have a different life than this,” she says. “For that, we have to get them out of this situation.”