A young mother of four was sleeping in her car so that she could visit her terminally ill husband in the hospital after work. One day, while finishing up one of her waitressing shifts, a strange series of events started happening, and it left her very confused.
When Jessica and Robert Reboredo got married, it seemed like they would have the perfect lives together. The young couple soon started a family, with Robert doing carpentry and Jessica serving at a restaurant in Las Vegas. While Jessica was pregnant with their fourth child, the pair received devastating news — 25-year-old Robert was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and it had spread to his stomach and lungs.
It wasn’t long before Robert began to lose his battle with the progressive disease. Eventually, he was checked into a Los Angeles hospital, where he was given palliative care. Sadly, the hospital was nearly 300 miles from his home. With bills piling up, the couple couldn’t afford for Jessica to take off work. Refusing to let Robert go through the battle alone, Jessica would often work a late-night shift before driving over four hours to see her husband. Unable to pay for a hotel, she resorted to sleeping in her car before heading back and doing it all over again.
“This week I had to just do it on a drop of a dime, and I couldn’t afford it, so I slept in my car for a day,” Jessica Reboredo recalled. “But I’m trying to smile through it still. I have to. That’s what everyone knows me for.”
Jessica’s second-grade teacher, who kept a close friendship with her over the years, was touched by her struggle. Little did Jessica know that her friend had reached out to the FOX5 Surprise Squad to rally the community around the young mom.
“She’s worried about the van going back and forth. She’s concerned with losing the home,” said Kimberly, Jessica’s former teacher. “Any little bit helps.”
Hours before Jessica would make the exhausting drive back to L.A., she was finishing up her usual shift at Chili’s. Much to her surprise, a customer had left a $200 tip on the table. Chalking it up to a lucky break, she went on to serve the next patron, who ended up handing her $300 extra. When she tried to retrieve their change, the customer refused and told her to keep it. As customer after customer left $500 and then $1,000, her confusion increased.
“You guys have no idea how much this means to me,” Jessica Reboredo told one of the customers. “My husband is actually in the hospital. I almost lost him a week ago.”
As Jessica Reboredo reeled from the mounting tips, the Surprise Squad walked in and explained that the community had heard about her struggle and wanted to give her a gift. Before she could react, they presented her with free hotel reservations in L.A., a $10,000 check to help with bills, and a new car to make the routine journey.
Jessica broke down in tears, thanking the news team and customers for their generosity. Just then, a familiar face appeared out of the crowd. With a large bouquet in hand, Kimberly embraced the sobbing waitress, letting her know that she wasn’t alone.
“I had no idea,” Jessica Reboredo said. “I thought it was just me and my family out there trying to do this. Trying to keep all our hopes and dreams alive and bringing Daddy back home.”
The money and car were life-changing for the young mother and her children. She told the news team that her biggest challenge was being strong for her daughter, who was only 4, as well as her 2-year-old twin boys and her 6-month-old son.
“Luckily, my kids are young enough that I can shelter them from this,” Jessica Reboredo said. “But, my biggest thing is just keep your head high and keep smiling because, as long as you can keep smiling, you’ll make it through.”
Although Jessica held out hope that Robert would come home, the loving father passed away shortly after the community stepped up to help. We can only assume he was at peace, knowing that Jessica and his children had the love and support of others to care for them in his absence.
After Robert’s death, Jessica Reboredo and her children were thriving, thanks to the help of loved ones. Robert lives on in their hearts, and the community has helped to ensure that the people who were most important to him are receiving the care they need.
When tragedy and hardship strike, this is how the community should respond. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, one young mother’s heavy burden was made just a little lighter.
