GALLO FAMILY
A father’s wish: to provide for his family again
By ALEJANDRA CANCINO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Marba Gallo, 45, clears tears from her eyes as her husband of 23 years, Carlos, describes the day they met in Havana.
Carlos was at a bus stop, heading to the beach, when he spotted a woman with long red hair wearing white shorts and a dark-blue shirt. They got on the bus, and he took the empty seat behind her.
“She smelled like spring,” says Carlos, 58, stopping his tale only when the pain reminds him to catch his breath.
The pain stems from the rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that burned his chest — and everything within — to get rid of the 3-inch tumor in his right lung. In April, four months after he was diagnosed with lung cancer, doctors removed the tumor and half of his lung.
When he gets excited he speaks quickly, forgetting his limitations. He grabs the right side of his chest and closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath to continue his story.
Once on the beach, he recited a poem as Marba lay next to him, her eyes closed. She opened them when he was done. He moved closer. Waited. And planted a soft kiss on her lips.
“Her eyes had a sparkle in them,” he offers as an explanation for his cheeky behavior.
Now, those once-sparkly eyes look tired. Marba has become her husband’s 24-hour nurse. In June, they received more bad news: A PET scan found two small tumors in his brain.
More chemotherapy, more radiation, more fear. And a feeling of helplessness that weighs on Carlos, who wants to keep the promise he made to his family — to never let them go hungry again.
Hunger was the reason they left Cuba on a boat with 23 other immigrants in 2004. In Cuba, Carlos said, they would give their son Rodnim, now 12, and daughter Shirley, 20, water mixed with sugar before bed so their stomachs wouldn’t bother them and they could sleep.
Now, food has become an issue once again. Carlos and Marba sit at the dining room table of the apartment they rent with the help of Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches. He holds a $20 bill, all that’s left after paying the rent. It will have to last for the month.
Carlos, a welder, wants desperately to work again. It troubles him not to be able to pay the $45,000 in medical bills that have accumulated. He regrets that his son has to see him so sickly, and he cannot even afford to replace the boy’s broken bookbag.
It’s a far cry from life before cancer, the couple says, when Carlos was strong and could provide for his family and their four dogs, four cats, and 23 birds.
Those few good years, says Marba, “were like waking up in paradise.”
THE GALLOS’ WISH
Clothing and a computer for Rodnim; $7,000 to pay off the family’s 2003 Buick LeSabre; money to help pay the $134 monthly car insurance bill; $1,000 so that Marba can apply for citizenship; she is a legal resident, but being citizen will help Marba have better opportunities. Nutritional drinks like Ensure for Carlos’ special diet, and gift cards for food; and help to pay off the medical bills.
Nominated by Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches Inc., 1712 Second Ave. North, Lake Worth, FL 33405 (561) 253-1361
UPDATE
Marba Gallo says thank you between sobs. She thanks those who sent warm words and those who sent donations after her family’s story ran in Season to Share.
“Gracias,” she manages to say before the tears start flowing again.
Gallo’s husband, Carlos, is recovering from lung cancer and from the chemotherapy and radiation he underwent to remove two small tumors in his brain. On Nov. 12, doctors told Carlos, 58, that the tumors are gone. He now needs to regain his strength and lose his fear.
It will be a long process, but Carlos, nominated by Adopt-a-Family of the Palm Beaches, said the people who sent donations, including money to help with food and medical expenses, give him hope and courage.
“To see how people who don’t know you help you, gives you a lot of strength,” he said. “I wish them the best in this world.”
