Mother of 4 dies of cancer; family struggling emotionally, financially

PONTIAC, Mich. - "I close my eyes and I can see her, the last day we were in the hospital," said Ricardo Castro. "She was fighting really hard, she told me, 'I don't want to go.'"

And she put up one hell of a fight - but in the end, a Pontiac mother of four lost her battle with cancer.

It is said God has a plan for everyone - but sometimes the plan can be incomprehensible.

Ana Castro, a 37-year old wife and mother to four sons, passed away over New Years.

"When this was happening I couldn't believe it, you know," her husband Ricardo said. "Because my wife was my friend, she was everything for me and my boys."

What started as a headache led to a cancer diagnosis at Thanksgiving, a hospital room over Christmas, and a tragic beginning to 2016 for her family.

Ricardo is trying to stay strong for the boys, ages 16, 14, 8 and 5.

"I never been in a situation like this," he said. "I was always see it in movies and in different families and would always say in my heart, 'Oh my God is this hard. I can't imagine what they are going through now.'"

Ricardo remembers the doctor explaining the term stage 4.

"Basically there's nothing they can do, you know," Ricardo said. "And then he said your wife is at number 4 already. And then I feel everything like a big rock hit me. And that was when I got scared.

"And I said, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do now.'"

Ricardo works 14 hour days. Two jobs as a line cook at Capital Grille and another restaurant. Anna too, worked long days at Capital Grille, allowing them a house in Pontiac they considered miraculous.

She had only been able to enjoy their home for two months before the headaches came.

"You can blame nobody you know," Ricardo said. "God know what he is doing. We just have to pray and say thank you to God everything - for good things, for bad things, for everything."

There are two ways to help Ricardo and his boys: a GoFundMe page under her name Ana Castro (CLICK HERE TO DONATE) and the Yatooma Foundation For Kids (CLICK HERE TO DONATE).