She needs 24-hour caretaker coverage. Maria is currently at Care One in Evesham Township, Burlington County, NJ. Our interest is getting Maria the best care and medical coverage that is available in the market.

To this end the cost to pay for Maria’s support is extremely expensive.
We have selected Help Hope Live as Maria’s charity vehicle because they have been in business for 40 years and donations to Maria are tax deductible, which is different from other funding groups. Donations for Maria’s care can be directed towards all levels of medical attention.

Another key use of donation dollars is physical therapy. Maria is a southpaw and must learn to use her less dominant right hand and to improve her speech and other lifestyle techniques such as eating.

Your donations will be tremendously appreciated by Maria who we all love and care for.

Most of you know her story. At 19 this South Philly girl went looking for a job coming out of Maria Goretti and paralegal school and knocked on the door at DePetris Realty in Center City Philadelphia. My brother Michael and I were just starting out in the business and needed a secretary. We were stunned when Maria said to us, in a South Philly slang, “Look, I like you guys, but I need to know before I leave if I am hired!” Of course, she was hired on the spot.

Maria was an amazing secretary, but she listened closely to the retail leasing talk around her and she absorbed it all. She soon became a leasing agent. She was a natural.

When my financial world fell apart in late 1989; and employees jumped off a sinking ship, Maria Rita Aristone stood by me with my brothers, sister and a few others when we launched Legend Properties, Inc. in January 1990.

The rest is history. I recognized her greatness and in 1998 made her President of Legend Properties. Maria became recognized as one of the top retail commercial real estate brokers in the business.

To those that are close to her, we nicknamed her the Warrior Queen because she was so competitive in her field, yet so tremendously respected by her competitors.

Her list of business accomplishments is endless, but most notable was her special relationship with Wendi Frost, Director of Real Estate for Michaels Stores, in doing over 40 deals with this retailer over the years.
When I attacked the Poconos real estate market in 2008 it was Maria who led the way with her sword high.

But there is another side of Maria Rita Aristone that maybe you don’t know. In 2016 Maria was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, the deadliest of all brain cancers. The average life expectancy of someone with this disease is 18 months. Two of the well known victims of this disease are President Biden’s son Beau Biden and U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.

Maria had her first brain operation in 2016. She did amazingly well. Within 1 year, Maria was touring in Southern France with her Catholic Church to make a journey to the Lourdes and touched the holy water.

Maria’s faith is very strong that with God’s help she can beat this terrible disease. She became an eucharistic minister and gave holy communion and hope to seniors who could not make it to church on Sunday.

Most importantly, Maria lived as a role model, requested by her neurosurgeon and oncologist, to help others inflicted with the same cancer. She would do her best by way of example to instill faith in those she spoke with. Her message was with God’s help anything is possible.

My brothers and I and all at Legend Properties, Inc., along with her brother Louis and family friends are fully committed to assist Maria in this moment of need. She has given so much to us over 40 years. We will spread the word of her need to all our friends and business associates so that the necessary investment can be made to give Maria the best lifestyle that can be afforded.

Attached is the donation information that can be used to make a contribution to Maria. Your donations are very much appreciated.

Thank you very much for listening.

James DePetris

Family and friends of Marie Aristone are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live in Marie’s honor to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.

We chose to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the GIVE button.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!