Maria works there as a counselor. Experts recommend telling children over a period of time. She encourages mentioning that Mommy or Daddy is sick and that they see the doctor a lot. Then build it up to a virus. It's OK to insist that it remains a secret within the family.
Most kids know how to keep things private in a family.
Maria has a condition that makes her muscles spasm in painful knots. She's also scared. My fear is that I die before she knows how to take care of herself. She wants to teach her daughter how to make a good pot of rice and beans, how to speak what's on her mind and how to be strong. I've got a good heart, and I don't want people to abuse it, take it for weakness.