Diana fled her home in Haiti with her husband, Marlon and their son, Carlo* to seek asylum from the dangerous crisis in their home country. The family eventually traveled to the U.S. Southern border, but moments after crossing, Diana fainted and was rushed to the border hospital. Because of her condition, she was immediately airlifted to Tucson. In a matter of hours, Diana found herself in the hospital for an early high-risk pregnancy and multiple potentially life-threatening diagnoses.

In a matter of hours, Diana found herself in the hospital for an early high-risk pregnancy and multiple potentially life-threatening diagnoses.”

The family was referred to CVT’s Proyecto Mariposa case management staff to ensure Diana’s medical needs would be met in Tucson upon discharge, including specialist and pre-natal care. However, more disruption was ahead of them: the family’s sponsors in the U.S. realized they could no longer receive them. This caused the family to worry about becoming homeless.

However, Diana and the family continued moving forward, working with the CVT case manager and bringing their strong sense of optimism to their situation. CVT’s case manager helped the family start by defining their primary goals: accessing long-term, complete and complex medical care, stable housing, education for their child and legal aid. As they worked through this process, a Catholic church was identified to formally sponsor, house and assist the family in their transition.

Once this important step was established, they also focused on Marlon’s strong desire to obtain his work permit and begin working as soon as possible, and both parents’ wishes to learn about U.S. systems and culture.

The family moved to their new home, and their lives began to improve steadily. When they arrived, Carlo asked his mother to put the case manager on the phone so he could tell her about his “new, big bed with a superhero Avengers blanket” and his cool new Legos. It was the first time in months that Diana and Marlon were able to cook their favorite foods from Haiti, food that they missed and that reminded them of home and their own kitchen.

Diana was assisted in connecting to local medical specialists and found out she would be having a baby boy. Marlon enrolled in local English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and Carlo completed his first school year. His summer was soon busy with a full schedule of activities, camps and tutoring. Although the family has challenges to come with their ongoing asylum case, they are feeling good about their first months in the U.S.

*Names have been changed for security and confidentiality.