Grants supports cancer battle
Friends, community support Nieto’s fight against cancer

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — The sun was shining, it was a clear but breezy day as hundreds of family, friends and people from several area communities turned out to support Gabriel Nieto and his family.

A fundraising event at the Villa de Cubero Arena on Saturday turned into an almost festive occasion with people gathering to eat while the kids played in a jumping castle and several “toss” type games.

Residents from Grants, Milan, Cubero, Seboyeta, Bluewater, Gallup, Acoma and Laguna reservations, including one couple from San Mateo and a woman from Gallup, showed their support of Nieto situation by paying $6 each for plates of pulled beef, rice and beans. Cakes were $5 each and soda pop was $1.

Nieto is 26 and has a wife, Melinda, and two small children, ages 4 and 2.

He became sick on Thanksgiving Day 2007 and was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer, fibrolamellar hetapocellular carcinoma in January.

The event raised $4,011 for Nieto and his family. And, less $600 in expenses, the family now has about $3,400 to help with medical expenses and living costs including food, house payments and clothes for their two small children.

Homemade food

Melinda Nieto was serving people who lined up to get the food under two small blue tents at the arena. She knew a lot of the people who passed through the line. Family members manned the large pots filled with homemade food.

Gabriel Nieto said he was feeling well enough to probably stay for the entire day. Gabriel’s father Maurico Nieto, a corrections officer at Western New Mexico Corrections Facility in Grants, said his son's medical condition was on his mind all the time.

One of his four sons and Gabriel’s brother, Jesse, is a Grants police officer.

Family is closer to each other, God

“This situation has brought us a lot closer as a family,” he said.

The father agreed: “All we have is faith. God is there for us. Prayer is very powerful,” he said, still emotional about the situation three moths after the initial diagnosis.

Jesse Nieto said he thought the turnout, at about 11 a.m., was “great.”

“The people here (local communities) really help each other when there is a problem,” he said.

Melinda Nieto said she was “very grateful” for the people who supported the family's fund raiser.

“I want the people to know how so grateful I am,” she said.
The family expects Gabriel will begin receiving Social Security disability in August, but in the four intervening months, bills still have to be paid and $3,400 will not last long with medical bills, a house payment of more than $700 and other living expenses.

“We were not told how much disability Gabe will receive, we still have to go for another meeting,” she said.

Gabriel’s medical insurance has lapsed and no insurance company will take him since he has cancer.

Melinda also said she wants to give special thanks to her sister-in law, Della Padilla, who started the fund raiser.
Her son’s teachers at St. Teresa’s Catholic School, joined together and donated $300, she said.

Three businesses in Grants and a woman in Bluewater all donated $100 each on Saturday, she said.

Special bank account

A special bank account for donations has been set up at Grants State Bank. Anyone wishing to donate should just ask for the money to be deposited into the Gabriel Nieto account, she said. Donations may be tax deductible.
Two additional fundraisers are in the planning process, but no dates or times have been announced.

One is a barbecue and car wash at Custom Cuts barber shop in Milan and the other is a possible dinner and dance. The Amigos West band has offered its services as a donation and the Knights of Columbus have also offered the use of its hall at no cost to the family.

Information, donations: (505) 980-7540;
Grants State Bank: (505) 285-6611.