Where are they now? Catching up with the Statesman's 2021 Season for Caring families

Before the renovation of her home this year, Natalia Castillo could not roll her daughter Mariana, 3, in her wheelchair throughout the house. Mariana was born prematurely and has a rare neuromuscular disease that requires her to be on a ventilator and use a wheelchair.

Castillo, 27, would have to lift the wheelchair with Mariana in it up the step into the house and then go as far as the laminate tile in the kitchen. Castillo would lift Mariana and carry her throughout the rest of the house, which had carpet. The wheelchair also didn't fit through important doorways, such as into Mariana's bedroom and the bathroom.

The family was featured in last year's Statesman Season for Caring program, which tells the stories of local families and invites readers to donate to the nonprofit organizations the families represent. Each year, the featured families' needs are taken care of first, and then thousands of other people are helped with basic needs such as housing, utilities, medical care and transportation.

Last year, the community donated $1.75 million in monetary and in-kind donations. Since 1999, more than $17 million has been given to local nonprofit organizations through the program.

On Nov. 27, the Statesman launches the 24th Season for Caring program with 11 new featured families. First, we look back this Thanksgiving week on the families from last year and the progress they have been able to make with the community's help.

Castillo family

For the Castillos being a part of Season for Caring meant that their nominating agency, Any Baby Can, could use some of the donations to make their house more accessible. They provided a movable wheelchair ramp into the home and updated flooring throughout, widened doorways in Mariana's bedroom and bathroom, and updated the bathroom with a floor that slopes, making it easy to wheel Mariana into the shower for bathing.

"It's just easier for her life," Castillo said of the renovated home. "It's an awesome change."

Furniture Mall of Texas provided new living room furniture. The family received a new dining room table and bedroom set for Castillo's mother, who lives with them and helps provide care. They also were given many tools to help Mariana, such as a stander to hold her upright and a special chair.

The family has seen some big changes. Castillo is now working with the nonprofit Hand to Hold as a family support specialist, helping other families who have children in the neonatal intensive care unit, a place where she spent five months with Mariana.

Season for Caring helped the Castillos with many of their bills this year, which allowed Castillo to take this job, to build emergency funds and to do things she had not been able to afford, such as a trip to Morgan's Wonderland accessible theme park in San Antonio.

Mariana also has started school and has been able to communicate using a tablet. "She's showing everybody her communication device and her sassiness," Castillo said.

Like many families who need 24-7 nursing care, Castillo recently lost some of her coverage because a longtime nurse left for a new career opportunity. She is looking for a nurse to go to school with Mariana during the weekdays.

Season for Caring, she said, "lifted up a heavy weight off my shoulders."

For all of it, she says, "I've been blessed."

Rivera family

Two years ago, Ashley Rivera, 34, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. She, husband Bryan and four children moved to Austin, taking a chance that there would be more resources here than in Galveston. The cancer had spread throughout her body.

"We were terrified," she said. "I look at how Season for Caring has supported us the last year, it was exactly what we prayed for. It filled in the gaps and allowed us to do what was impossible."

She said the program and the nominating nonprofit, Wonders & Worries, allowed them "to focus on our family."

Wonders & Worries kept the mortgage paid and made health insurance payments while Bryan Rivera was able to find a new job: his own company in political canvasing and door-to-door marketing.

This year was a big one for the family medically. Ashley Rivera had been diagnosed with an unrelated brain cancer, but couldn't find a doctor at Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center who would try to remove the tumor. In Austin, she found Dr. Richard Stovall at St. David's North Austin Medical Center. He told her the risks of surgery, including paralysis, and let her make the choice.

"He saw me and the value of my life," she said. "He didn't see me as a stage four cancer patient. He was willing to see me as a mom and a wife and a human."

In February, she had that tumor removed. She has very few side effects from surgery, but the recovery, which included getting seizures under control and learning to walk again, took about three months.

This month, doctors found new spots on Ashley Rivera's liver. More testing will determine their scope, but Rivera is hopeful. Two years ago, her body was covered in tumors, and, with treatment, they went away. "Even if it does come back, at least we're on top of it," she said.

There is more news medically. Daughter Emilee, 10, finally has an answer to what was happening with her blood sugar and is able to have better treatment. Son Caleb, 7, who has a neuromuscular disease and uses a feeding tube, had a few hospitalizations, but has recovered. Brayden, 12, and Ellie, 4, are doing well.

A lot of good connections were made with resources in Central Texas because organizations read about the family in Season for Caring.

The kids have all connected with nonprofit Safe in Austin, which pairs rescue animals to kids with similar health stories. For example, Emilee now has a horse friend, Max, who also has blood sugar issues. "It's been so healing for our family," Rivera said.

Caleb's medical supply company also reached out with extra help when they heard the Rivera's story through Season for Caring.

"It's overwhelming in a good way," Rivera said of Season for Caring.

Grisham Middle School filled the family's home with gifts and gift cards. "You couldn't see our tree under the gifts," she said. They are still opening up gifts. Rivera realized that smart moms at that school bought clothes a size larger for her children, and now they are set for this winter, too.

"The coolest part is you could see each family gave what they could," she said. Yes, they got some extravagant gifts, and some practical gifts. They also got some duplicates. They passed those gifts to other families, which made them feel good. "Usually we are the ones giving," Rivera said. "We were still able to do that."

They got special gifts that came from the heart. Rivera's favorite is a pan that had some scratches on it: "I use that pan every day. I know that family gave everything they could to still support our family."

"I just can't believe it that we had that much love poured out on us," Rivera said.

Tahaguas Abraha

After walking from Eritrea to Ethiopia as a 12-year-old girl for a better education, Tahaguas Abraha, 21, is now achieving that education. She is a second-year nursing student at the University of Texas. Her uncle and aunt and their children, whom she lives with here, are also doing well, she said. She has not been able to contact her family in Eritrea and Ethiopia, she says, because of warfare there.

The support from Season for Caring through Interfaith Action of Central Texas has helped her to stay in school.

"I can't thank you enough for everything!" she wrote in an email. "Season for Caring helped me a lot. It is such an amazing and supportive program."

Cheryl Selby

At the start of Season for Caring last year, Cheryl Selby, 71, had injured her back trying to fix a trailer she purchased to live in after she could no longer afford rent. It didn't have running water or heat.

"I almost froze to death," she said after the weather turned cold.

Then she found a bigger trailer to purchase. Her church read her story in the Statesman and donated the money to pay for the bigger trailer.

She loves her new home, and now it even has a new deck. "It could not be more comfortable for me and my companion (her dog Freddie)," she said.

Season for Caring money through Family Eldercare has continued to help her, including a furnace repair and as she recovered from a recent hospitalization.

She has found a real community in her mobile home park. They have even helped her with physical therapy by walking with her and her dog Freddie through the park. "'You can't talk to me unless you want to walk,'" she would tell them. "We had a whole line of people. We even had a chicken."

Her son is refurbishing her old trailer so she can donate it to someone who needs it.

"I have an overwhelming desire to pay it forward," she said. "The help that the American-Statesman gave me was absolutely invaluable."

Silva family

This was a hard year for Judy Silva, 63. In January, her brother Ramon Torres, 67, who had Down syndrome and had suffered a previous stroke, died from COVID-19. He had been vaccinated, but he was immune-compromised and hit by the first wave of the omicron variant.

"It was really hard," she said. "It still is."

It also hit the family financially. Silva was his caregiver, which meant that she lost income from being his official caregiver as well as from his Social Security. Season for Caring funds through Austin Palliative Care paid their rent this year. When the rent rose to a level that Silva knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with after Season for Caring money ran out, she and husband Juan Silva, 68, moved in with their daughter.

They still have their new beds from Factory Mattress, and it's a great comfort to Silva that her brother got to sleep in a comfortable bed before he died and that he had warm clothes. "He had an amazing Christmas," she said.

Silver is now working as a caregiver in a memory unit. "I get to love all these people since my brother has been gone," she said.

"Season for Caring is something so important and amazing," she said. "They help people who don't have anything like me. They helped us at a time where we were in need."

Burnett family

The Burnett family was living in a motel last year because of a history of evictions and unstable employment. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area spent the year trying to find a more stable living situation, but with the family's credit history, and Mike Burnett's job as a contract mover, they could not find affordable housing in the area that would take the guaranteed year's rent. The family was able to move to a better motel with Season for Caring support. The donated car also has made a big difference in their lives.

"I understand the situation we were in, that's us," said Mike Burnett, 51. "The program has been wonderful. It's a very rewarding experience."

The girls, Alexis, 17, and Gabby, 15, are doing well. Alexis was part of the homecoming court this year. Gabby struggled last year but is having a better year. Anna Burnett, 40, stopped working so that she could help them.

Boys & Girls Clubs is working on a plan for their financial stability in the future.

"We are very grateful for the help," Mike Burnett said.

López Guzman family

Otilia Menchu López, the newest member of the López Guzman family at 10 months old, is "very calm," her mother Arelis López Guzman, 37, said. " She laughs a lot. She likes taking pictures. She eats a lot."

The family is very good, López Guzman said. Samantha, 5, loves to ride the bike she got from Season for Caring. "That's the one thing she loves the most," López Guzman said.

Marlen, 14, said she is still playing the violin, and doing her makeup and her art, but focusing more on the art.

Season for Caring through Foundation Communities helped the family, including father Jose, with financial needs as well as buying a car. "It has made a big difference in us," López Guzman said of the car. "It's easy to move around, to drop kids to school, to pick them up, and to go to the clinic. It's more easy for us."

Season for Caring funds also helped with a lawyer to do immigration paperwork. Soon, López Guzman will be able to work legally. She plans to work in a school or child care center.

"Thank you so much," López Guzman said. "It has done a big difference in our life. We're really thankful for that."

Fresch family

This year, Shilda Fresch, 36, was able to earn her associate degree in May from Austin Community College. She had been working on it for seven years, and Season for Caring allowed her the space financially to get it done.

Season for Caring through Dress for Success Austin also allowed the family to focus on new twins D'andrea and Ke'andrea, who were born prematurely last October. The family is in the process of adopting them. They have the same birth mother as three other children the family has adopted. They also have three biological children.

Fresch continues to work on her dream of educating kids through entertainment. She has just released a children's book, "Move Out the Way, It's Adoption Day," which is available on Amazon.com. She has written a song, "My Hero," which has been played on radio locally.

The family has a new project. They are opening a pet boarding kennel called Unique Kennels in Cedar Creek. "It's a lot to start the business," Fresch said. "It's something we're passionate about. It's something we can do. We can wake up every day and be proud and happy to do it."

Season for Caring funds provided a second car for the family, as well as helped Fresch to be with her grandmother in Chicago before she died.

"It took a lot of pressure off of me," Fresch said.

Sneed family

When Diana Sneed's East Austin home burned down in July 2021, she and the two granddaughters she was caring for could have been homeless. Another granddaughter, Catilin Coker, 31, took them in.

This year, Sneed, 68, was able to sell the property and move into a home in Manor with Coker, granddaughters Jalija, 10, and Seraiyah, 6, and Coker's children Deandre, 14, Lamar, 12, and King, 4.

The move has been good for Sneed, Coker said. "She just wasn't happy before," Coker said. "She was having to carry the weight. Now she doesn't have to."

"Honestly, it was able to change our lives completely," Coker said of Season for Caring through Meals on Wheels Central Texas. "It was able to give us a new start and lift some of the weight off of me. My new reality is always going to continue to be a struggle, but I feel like you were able to do the heavy lifting. It was just a blessing."

Gaston-Ellis family

After their mother died from COVID-19 in August 2021, the oldest Gaston-Ellis siblings, Tre, 27, Deaza, 26, and Railyne, 24, had to band together to raise their youngest siblings Kalieve, now 18, and Kaiden, 17.

Season for Caring funds through Hospice Austin allowed them time to grieve, without missing bills, said Railyne Gaston-Ellis. Without Season for Caring, "we most likely would not have been able to take time off for mom's funeral," she said.

Kalieve has now graduated from high school and is working. Kaiden is looking at colleges and wants to do something in the medical field.

This October, the family experienced another tragedy. Shantel Isaac, 25, girlfriend of Tre Gaston-Ellis and mother of Malakhi Gaston-Ellis, 1, was killed by a gunshot. Her death is being investigated by the Pflugerville police.

BJ Lentz

Season for Caring was "one of the greatest things in my life," said musician and teacher BJ Lentz, 62.

It gave her the mental push to play music again publicly, she said. She lost most of her vision in an accident in 2017, but Season for Caring donations through Health Alliance for Austin Musicians helped her with gift cards for Lyft and Uber to get to gigs as well as help with her rent and utilities and new musical instruments. She has now picked up the flute, in addition to her many percussion instruments, keyboards and ukulele.

Season for Caring gave her confidence that people were there to help her. "How kind the world is," she said. "I can't believe it."

She's also now teaching at a middle school she can walk to, which is helpful.

"I'm ever so thankful," she said. "I'm really excited to see who you choose this year. I want to follow along."

Statesman Season for Caring

Read the new season's stories online by Thanksgiving at statesman.com/seasonforcaring and in print on Nov. 27.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Statesman Season for Caring: Checking in with last year's families