Rosalinda Villegas was denied a traditional quinceañera birthday party at age 15, due to her family’s financial situation. Four decades later and thousands of miles away from her native Monterrey, Mexico, the 60 year-old breast cancer survivor finally got her wish. She was able to celebrate this important cultural milestone, thanks to the support of family and friends.
To mark the occasion, Villegas donned a pink gown and was surrounded by eight female attendants, or damas, as well as several male attendants, known as chambelanes, one of whom was her husband, Ángel. Visibly excited, Villegas and her entourage – none of whom were able to celebrate their own quinceañeras as teenagers, nor did any of them participate as attendants in others’ parties – kicked the festivities off with a dance to the customary ‘Tiempo de Vals,’ by Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.
Some 150 guests attended the celebration, which took place several weeks ago at the event center Fiesta Bonita, in Marietta. In addition to dinner, guests were treated to the sounds of Sonora Familiar, a band made up of María de Lourdes Coronado Campillo (vocals and percussion), Brandon Reyes (keyboard), María Milagros Mijes (vocals and percussion), José Gabriel Hernández (bass), Benito Reyes (percussion), Isela Martínez (vocals, clave and maracas) and Roy Reyes (bongos).
Ten years ago, Villegas had to postpone her party, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo a life-saving treatment.
“I’ve waited for this party for a long time,” she said. “Thanks to God, who gave me the chance to beat cancer, today I’m celebrating my fifteenth birthday.”
The icing on the cake is that Villegas’s party was made possible thanks to the collective effort of a group of people, led by Fiesta Bonita owner and Cuban native José Gabriel Hernández.
“We’ve been doing low-cost parties for two years, thanks to the help of others in the community, who come together to live healthy lives, in harmony,” explained Hernández, who added that the event center serves as a sort of club with free membership.
“The only requirement is good behavior and knowing how to spend time together,” he said.
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