Maria Helena Arana

In the early hours of January 9, 2017, Maria Helena Arana, 58, was welcomed into her heavenly home by her husband, Jose Francisco, ending a courageous 6-year battle with multiple myeloma. She was beset by severe complications during a stem-cell transplant, and went out fighting until her last breath.

Maria Helena was an incredibly self-less, faithful and perseverant mother, who always made the best of any difficult situation that arose in her life. Her devotion to her family and to God gave her the fortitude she needed to overcome the passing of her husband and the strength she needed to fight her battle with cancer.

Maria Helena was born to Dr. Gabriel and Esperanza Alvarez, in Los Angeles, California on September 06, 1958. Her family moved back to Nicaragua in 1963, where she spent her childhood playing with her siblings, teasing her numerous cousins (making them eat mud pies), listening to her favorite music (the Beatles, Sound of Music Soundtrack), and dreaming of being part of a large family (inspired by her favorite film, The Sound of Music).

One bright day, a clever and ambitious young man named Jose Francisco caught a glimpse of her and instantly fell head over heels. He tried every trick in the book to get her attention, including using his siblings as intermediaries. When they first met, an occasion fondly remembered by Maria Helena, Jose Francisco grabbed his little brother Luis, walked over to her and uttered the classic line: “My brother would really like to know your name!” Eventually, he succeeded in winning over her heart and from then on, they were inseparable. Jose Francisco, or Pancho as she called him, frequently told those around him that Maria Helena had rescued him and given his life meaning and purpose. Together, they attended the Central American University of Nicaragua (UCA) and both obtained a degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering in 1980. They were married in 1981 and soon afterwards had to flee the communist take-over of Nicaragua to start a new life of hope and possibilities in the United States. Their first four years in the United States were spent in Miami, Florida, until they found their permanent home in Houston, Texas.

Maria Helena tirelessly devoted her entire existence to caring for her family. She had her first child in 1983 and her last one almost 20-years later. Their education was of great importance to her and she took personal charge using her engineering background to homeschool her children for over 8-years. However, she would never cease to state that her primary mission was to raise children that would one day be worthy of Heaven. Although she faced many challenges in life, there were two great challenges that stood out: She lost her Pancho in March of 2006 at the age of 47 to pancreatic cancer, and she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the summer of 2010. Throughout all the challenges she faced, she never once wavered in her faith in God or in her dedication to her family. In fact, she saw the Hand of God in how she came to be aware of her multiple myeloma: she lost her balance going up the stairs and fell down and hurt her arm. Had she not gotten her arm x-rayed, the disease would not have been caught early and would have likely reduced her time with her family. She often remarked that she had felt a phantom push and attributed it to Pancho.

Maria Helena is survived by her children: Francisco and his wife Natasha, Nila, Gabriela, Ines, Miguel, and Rafael. She is also survived by her granddaughters Natasha and Juliana; her parents Dr. Gabriel and Esperanza Alvarez; her siblings Gabriel and his wife Elaine Alvarez, Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez, Maria Esperanza and her husband Zef Hernandez; and her nephews Oscar, Gabriel, Sebastian, Peter, and Sergio.

She will be incredibly missed by all of her family. They are heartbroken, but find comfort in knowing that she has once again been reunited with the love of her life.