Brain Aneurysm Foundation

Hi everyone,

As many of you know, Joel Q. Aquino passed away from a brain aneurysm on February 7, 2020. He was an amazing husband, dad, son, brother, and friend. In the spirit of Joel's kindness and selflessness, his family has set up a memorial page for him in order to raise awareness and funds for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. They would like to be able to count on you to make a donation to the organization so that other families will not have to experience the grief that comes with losing someone so wonderful and extraordinary. 

Please click Donate Now. You can read more about what we do here as well as make a secure donation online. 

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is the world's only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to providing critical awareness, education, support and research funding to reduce the incidence of brain aneurysm ruptures. 

All proceeds go towards:

• Funding and supporting new research.
• Providing support and educational materials to the medical community, the newly diagnosed, survivors, family members, friends and the general public regarding the facts, treatment options, and recovery process for brain aneurysms. 
• Increasing awareness of brain aneurysms by promoting National Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month in September and by distributing aneurysm awareness materials to Emergency Departments in every hospital and to the community. 

With your support, we can start making a real investment to help fight the devastation caused by brain aneurysms and save lives. All donations are tax-deductible and every dollar raised goes to help support the mission of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. It is imperative that the Brain Aneurysm Foundation receives more support, especially since the federal government spends only 83 cents per year on brain aneurysm research for each person afflicted. 

If you cannot make a donation at this time, please forward this e-mail and link to everyone you know. Post this on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Every donation counts, no matter what the amount. 

The loss of a loved one is devastating. Yet, we are always reminded by our hearts – how lucky we have been to know those that we loved even in our loss.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Your generosity and support is greatly appreciated. 

ABOUT JOEL:

The eldest of eight children, Joel Q. Aquino was born on January 11, 1957 in Pampanga, Philippines, to parents Jose and Erlinda Aquino. As a child, Joel had a great sense of humor and was both incredibly resourceful and helpful. To make ends meet, Joel worked in the sugar cane mill and occasionally sold cigarettes for profit to people in his province. He attended Jose Abad Santos High School and later majored in civil engineering at Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) in Manila. Although he excelled in his courses at MIT, he chose to withdraw from college in order to earn money for his family and provide them with opportunities that he never had. He traveled to Saudi Arabia, where he first worked for a construction company and later for a prince. It was hard being so far away from home as a teenager and having to work under such difficult conditions, but Joel always remained faithful to God and never complained. He was genuinely happy to keep food on his family’s table and his brothers and sisters in school. He was excited to put his siblings through college and see them attain success in the fields of engineering, accounting, real estate, and medicine.

Eventually, Joel became a citizen of the United States and moved to Los Angeles, California, where he petitioned his parents and siblings to become U.S. citizens and began working for the U.S. Postal Service. He then enrolled in computer programming classes in downtown Los Angeles and met the love of his life, Grace Collantes. They were best friends first but Joel eventually won Grace over with his kindness, intelligence, patience, and, most of all, his jokes. They married each other on March 21, 1993 and officially became family. He was overjoyed when Grace later gave birth to his two daughters, Joyce and Joanne. Always a hands-on dad, Joel was present for everything — every school event, every piano competition, every milestone. He instilled in his daughters the values of God, family, and education, in that order. He did everything in his power to make sure that they finished college and was extremely proud that both of them graduated from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

In his free time, he enjoyed hanging out with his family (two pet dogs included), watching movies, connecting with his friends on Facebook, and planning trips around the world. His hobbies came to an abrupt end on November 25, 2019, when Joel suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm and was rushed to UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital. Throughout his time there, Joel remained comatose but he was always surrounded by loved ones. Joel passed away on February 7, 2020 in his wife Grace’s arms and with his two daughters by his side.

Joel was a selfless and extraordinary man who accomplished so much during his time here on earth. Helping others was truly his trademark; he never asked or expected anything in return for his help and he was genuinely happy to see others happy. He remains and will remain deeply missed and loved.