For 21 years, Meiroka Nunes has led efforts to help the Island Brazilian community. Known for founding the Facebook group Brazukada, she has organized Food Pantry donations and charity lunches, including helping a construction worker who injured his back after falling on a worksite. She has accompanied Brazilians to doctors’ appointments, and has even taken care of an ailing elderly Brazilian immigrant for more than a year and a half. After cleaning his home, bathing him, making sure he got Brazilian food to eat, and taking him to cancer treatment appointments, she organized his trip back to Brazil, so he could die in his homeland.
But last December, for the first time, Meiroka Nunes found herself needing the community’s help.
Last summer, Meiroka’s husband of 26 years, Fábio Nunes, was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was forced to stop working in his stonemasonry job. Like many Brazilian families on the Island, the Nuneses usually work extra hours in the summer to save for winter, when work slows down. While Fábio stopped working, Meiroka divided her time taking care of him and two teenage sons, on top of her cleaning and nail-technician jobs. But the income and their savings were not enough.
For a long time, Fábio wanted to stay private, but the family finally decided to ask for help. “We don’t have parents here, so I thought of asking for my friends’ help, to ask the people who had always helped me when I asked for other people’s campaigns,” Meiroka Nunes said.
And the community stepped up: 400 people joined a WhatsApp group in support of the family. Soon, ideas started popping up. Word spread through the Island’s Brazilian community’s social media groups. They have organized a raffle, a GoFundMe campaign, and a charity lunch. And donations have been pouring in.
“She has such a big heart; she loves helping people, many times even overextending herself to do it,” said Luana Ornela, a psychoanalyst and housecleaner, who led the organization of the raffle.
Brazilian businesses donated 23 gifts, including gold bracelets and necklaces, personalized knives, a TV, and restaurant gift cards. Three businesses and about 10 volunteers were in charge of selling the raffle tickets, which were drawn at the end of February, with proceeds totaling more than $8,400.
“It was touching,” Ornela said. “In the winter, many people don’t have a source of income, but they spared no effort to help.” Ornela added that the experience has inspired her to take more leading roles to help others: “It’s very gratifying. In such a challenging world we live today, I could see there are more good than bad people.”
The Brazilian community is also collecting food donations for a charity lunch, where volunteers will cook Brazilian food takeout for $20 a plate, to be held on March 29, which is being led by Pastor Lina Martins of Revival Church tor the Nations in Oak Bluffs.
While Fábio’s surgery was successful, he still needs chemotherapy, and there’s no end of the treatment in sight. The community created a GoFundMe campaign, which is still running to support the family. Besides the donations, she is also asking for opportunities to work in housecleaning.
“I hope this also helps raise awareness that people need to take care of their health, especially men and especially after 40,” she said, adding that Brazilian men are not used to regular medical checkups, and are resistant to taking a prostate exam. She said some of her husband’s coworkers scheduled doctor’s appointments after he encouraged them by telling his story.
Meiroka’s motto has been “Never leave anyone behind,” as the community is doing now for her. “They told me I can focus on taking care of my husband, because it’s my turn to be helped,” said Meiroka, who has been recognized by Brazilians in the U.S., and won the Notable Brazilian Awards for her role in the Island and Massachusetts communities. “[I feel] my whole life was worth it. What I did for the Brazilian community is now returning to me. They are taking care of us, and supporting my home.”
