Emily Progin, Content Manager
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Release: Immediate
COMMUNITY RALLYING TO HELP WOMAN AFTER AMPUTATION
Help Viviana Serratos Get “The Missing Piece to Make Me Whole Again”
SAN DIEGO, Calif.—In 2022, life took a piece of Viviana Serratos: her middle finger. The community is rallying to help 43-year-old Viviana secure the prosthetic finger that will restore hope and greatly impact her physical and mental wellbeing.
To fund the cost of a life-changing prosthetic, which is not covered by insurance, $350 has already been raised through the nonprofit Help Hope Live at https://helphopelive.org/campaign/24999/
“It was a traumatic day I wish I could forget,” explained Viviana of the 2022 amputation, “but I am constantly reminded that the day took a piece of me.” An abusive ex-partner drove off while Viviana’s hand was still holding the car door handle. In the process, Viviana’s middle finger was severed.
For the past 3 years, Viviana has been struggling with phantom pain, the mental and emotional scars left by her experience, and the physical barriers created by this missing piece.
She’s worked tirelessly to regain function after the amputation. With a strong desire to contribute to her community and work again, she’s also studying practical skills like plumbing, nutrition, and air conditioning & heating at the San Diego College of Continuing Education. She hopes to be able to write a book someday.
Viviana has had the chance to try out a life-changing prosthetic option called a PIPDriver. “A wave of peace came over me when I slipped the sample on,” she explained. “M brain was calm. The internal earthquake ceased. I had a taste of that wonderful feeling of being whole again.”
Her insurance has denied any coverage for the prosthetic. Living on SSDI income, Viviana is facing $5,000 out of pocket to restore her dexterity and independence.
That’s why she’s started fundraising with the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live. Loved ones have already raised over $350 in her honor.
Her mom’s leukemia diagnosis in 2024 postponed her fundraising efforts, but she’s ready to call on her community once again.
“It’s been a lonely journey,” Viviana explained. “I have lost so much, but I am ready to move forward. I could use all the hope and support I can get.”
In addition to the support of her community, Viviana is backed up by her “trinity” of beloved canines, including service dog Amaya Wolf Potus, Dr. Hershel Henry Jones, and Professor Charles Xavier de Bear. “They give my life meaning,” she said.
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be administered by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $193 million to pay patient expenses, assisting more than 25,000 patient families. ###
