12 Days: Mission family asks for prayers as mother battles cancer

MISSION - The little yellow house on Flores road needs a Christmas miracle.

A pink bicycle would delight the 8-year-old girl. The four-year-old, after much deliberation, finally settles on a Christmas tree, which the family doesn’t have. But what the four children here really need is a mother. And that’s something only God, not Santa Claus, can help them keep.

After a long struggle with cervical cancer, doctors have told the family Ruth Sarmiento, 28, doesn’t have long to live. Innumerable medical tests, chemotherapy and cancer have left her too weak to stand, and unable to eat. Thursday marked her eighth day without food.

"We need more the prayers for my daughter and wishes for her to stay alive. That’s the main point," said Juanita Elizondo, Ruth’s mother. "If they don’t have anything to send us, just pray for us. That’s enough. Material stuff comes and goes, but not my daughter. I want my daughter to stay here."

Ruth’s entire life revolved around Flores road. She moved to Mission as a child and grew up in the yellow, two-bedroom home. Dogs wander outside on the dirt road, and many homes have chicken coops out back. The wind rustles through her yard, causing the broken basketball hoop outside to sway slightly.

Inside, the house is tidy. Couches and a kitchen table occupy most of the living room. Two shelves hold family photos and Ruth’s medication.

At 12, she met began dating Rolando Puente, who lived across the street. Two years later, they had their first child. Three more would follow. She dropped out of school, located just down the road, after 7th grade. And now, stricken with cancer, Ruth appears likely to die in her childhood home.

A slight woman with brown hair and brown eyes, Ruth spends her days in bed, covered by a heap of blankets. She’s wracked with pain.

"I’m losing everything," Ruth said. "I don’t know what’s going to happen to my kids."

Christmas wishes

Elizondo, 61, supports her daughter and four grandchildren with a monthly disability check. With luck, the children’s father might be released from jail — where he’s serving time for a minor offense — this spring to help out. But until then, the children will be supported by their grandparents and money will be tight.

Gathered around the kitchen table on a recent weeknight, the children explained their Christmas wish lists as Ruth slept.

Kimberly, 8, wants a pink bicycle and maybe some jeans. Wearing pajama pants, she bounced around the room, coloring at the table before lounging on the couch with her brother and cousin. She has a perfect attendance record at school.

Her younger brother, 4-year-old Albert, had a much tougher time deciding what he wants. Asked about Christmas, Albert wrapped his arms around his head to think harder. After several minutes of intense deliberation, he puts his arms down.

"I want a Christmas tree," Albert said, explaining he saw one at the dollar store. Elizondo quietly says the family doesn’t have a tree, and probably won’t get one. It’s just not in the budget.

Albert thinks again, finally settling on a jacket.

"And an umbrella for the rain," he said.

Rolando Jr., 14, is a voracious reader and would enjoy books, Elizondo said. He’d like a laptop for schoolwork, but the family can’t afford one.

The family’s youngest, 2-year-old Jasmine, needs new clothes, Elizondo said. She’s growing, and it’s tough to keep up.

More than anything else, though, the family needs prayers for Ruth, Elizondo said.

"I’ve got a lot of faith in God," Elizondo said. "I know that miracles happen, and I’m looking for one of those."

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Dave Hendricks covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4452.