LifeLines: Stories from the border — Maria Guerrero

Maria and her mother walk in their neighborhoodMaria Guerrero is a 16-year-old girl who lives a few miles north of the Mexico/Arizona border with her family. After her father passed away, her mother moved Maria’s family to Arizona in search of a better life– better schools, and a dream of better health care for Maria’s younger sister, who suffers from an often fatal degenerative disease. On the border, however, Maria discovers racism and bullying at school, and her mother finds that Arizona’s health benefits won’t cover her daughter’s needs. In this short piece, Maria and her family contemplate moving to California, and what it may mean for the family.