This artwork and character is copyright me, FlamesVoices, and is not free to use, distribute, alter, trace, or claim as yours in any way.

Thank you for your cooperation!

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This is a YCH thing I opened up to help me raise muns to help my cousins out because their father passed away a little over a week ago.

Because of the situation, I will be opening up 5 of these YCH slots here very soon.
My uncle loved my art, and helping support his girls with it only seems very right to me.

My cousins are younger than I am--which is to say, under 20 and still very much in need of support, especially now that they have been saddled with their father's funerary costs.

Please consider donating if you can, and if not, please help us share the link below.
Any support is appreciated.


https://www.youcaring.com/israelmandujano-874642

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For those who haven't been following me around on other social media or haven't heard, I went to Anthrocon a few weeks ago and was gone for a week, most of which was spent on the road to and from Pittsburgh. Around this time, my uncle went in for a very important heart surgery and was told that it went well. Unfortunately, he never left ICU.
I wasn't updated regularly so I wasn't aware of the details of the situation.

So on Friday, the day after I got back from AC, I was informed that my uncle was not doing well at all, and that the complications from his surgery had resulted in pneumonia.
We packed up and left for California the next day, we took off and flew out of Texas in the morning. When we got to California, one of the first things we did was head immediately to the hospital.
It was so hard to see him this way, but I had to. He was sedated, and was on a ventilator.
The next few days were filled with tears and prayers for a miracle, but once he was taken off the sedatives and still hadn't woken up, it was pretty clear at that point that he wasn't there anymore. After weeks and weeks he spent fighting, we had to let him go.

My Tito was there for me since literally day one (You can tell because I named him like I named everyone else in my family so poorly as a toddler!), and was always supportive. He couldn't find it in his heart to think of hurting his family, and was always worrying and working for his two daughters.
When I came out as a furry, he was the only one who had questions and was genuinely interested right away. He never had anything bad to say about it, and was supportive the whole way. He was always super supportive of my art and my weird decisions, and always wanted to see what I'd come up with since the last time I'd seen him.

He and my aunt divorced when I was young, but we still thought of him as family, even if he wasn't related by blood, and he treated her kids like his very own. He always had a kind word for us and never let it show just how bad he was feeling whenever he was upset or stressed.

Whenever we were at parties together, he danced even if he didn't know what he was doing all the time, just because it was fun. He had the brightest smile and the capacity to make anyone laugh, even if he didn't mean to all the time. He wasn't afraid to make mistakes, and wasn't afraid to laugh at his own mistakes, and helped support his massive family. He couldn't say no to his two girls, and he helped look after his aging parents and siblings, and their extended family. He was a dedicated brother, father, son, and even a second father-figure to me and my sisters, and another brother to my parents.

I can't remember the last time I spoke to him, but I remember when I last saw him. I hate knowing that I was gone, completely across the country when it was my last chance to speak to him, and I miss him. Looking back now, I remember that he was really worried about the heart surgery, and I think it was because he felt really scared and lonely. But when we were in the hospital, I also remembered that there were two waiting rooms full of his friends and family, and that there still wasn't even enough space for all of us.

Even though he was unconscious at the time, I hope that maybe he could feel that he and his girls were not alone, and as far as we were concerned, wouldn't ever be alone. I know he would've felt regretful if I'd missed AC on his behalf, even if it meant I wouldn't get to speak to him again.

I'm going to miss having someone so bright like that in my life. I'm so grateful that I'm able to say that I knew him, but I regret not being able to take advantage of that. I'm super fucking proud to be able to call him my uncle, and I'm even prouder knowing that I refuse to let him down.

If you guys read this far, thank you.
I know it's a lot, and maybe it's not relevant to you, but sharing just how awesome a man my uncle and having others know it, too, makes me feel just a little better.


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