A Family Needs Your Help

Hello Friends,

I’m writing about a very serious matter here, so please take the time to read what I need to say; there’s a lot.

A friend of mine, Mario Varacalli of Hungry Monkey Sub Shop in Belize, Central America, recently passed away. The reason for his death is Pulmonary Chronical Disease which was contributed to his asthma and sleep apnea. There was no sign of foul play, toxins, pills, or even poison in his body or the area where he was found deceased. I was personally at the morgue with the family when the autopsy and postmortem was conducted and the news was released to them. So if you must know the details (which Vicky, his wife, asked me to share), here they are:

With the permission and plea of Vicky (wife of Mario, not Rosalie as many “credible” news sources have stated), we would like to inform you of the FACTS:

1. The “bills” that were found next to Mario’s body were actually product orders. As the owner of a restaurant, not only do bills have to be paid, but orders need to be placed. That’s what the papers next to Mario were.
2. There was no bottle of Crystal Water found next to him. It was a bottle of Coke Lite. No alcohol was found anywhere.
3. No evidence of foul play was found. No toxins, alcohol or poison were found in his blood. Yes, there has been speculation about whether it was a suicide or not, but the EVIDENCE (included in the death certificate and official post mortem report) indicates otherwise.
4. There was no letter or note found. The only indication of a suicide note was via another individual. Documentation nor an actual letter was provided to the family.
5. The Hungry Monkey sub shop does not have 9 employees. There were two at the time of his death, one of which was part-time to help during the lunch rush hours.
6. Rosalie was Mario’s business partner, not wife. Mario’s wife is Vicky Briere, who he shares a 1 year old son with (Jordan).
7. Mario has never left his family in a situation like this, and had no intention of it. There was trouble with finances, just like a lot of other business people experience with new businesses, and it did drive him to the point of depression.
8. Mario was spending the night in the sub shop in Belize City because he missed the boat back to San Pedro. This was not the first time, and he has spent many nights at his business. He was placing orders, just as he normally does, when his chronic disease got the best of him. A truly suicidal individual would not conduct business as usual if their intention was to abandon their lives.

With that said, here is what you can do to help:

1. First and foremost, spread the FACTS, not the speculationWe love to contribute to rumors. I do it all the time, knowingly and unknowingly. “No, I don’t”, you say? Any time you talk about another individual or situation that you don’t know the facts about, and don’t talk to the individual of interest, it’s a RUMOR. Think about it. Please respect the family and share the facts as outlined above.
2. Restaurant Kitchen Equipment MUST SELL: THIS IS THE BEST WAY YOU CAN HELPThe Hungry Monkey and Mario Varacalli have just ordered a TON of brand new commercial equipment from the United States less than a year ago. The equipment that was under Mario’s personal name (and not the business) is now for sale. Most of the equipment has only been used several months, some of it used a couple of months, and a bit are still brand new. ALL duties, customs, import fees and shipping have already been paid, and is currently being stored in Belize City. The equipment is commercial grade, and most of it is NSF certified. If you can PLEASE help out, then please do so. Whether you need it or know someone that does, this is a VERY urgent and time-sensitive request that Vicky would like fulfilled. The list to the equipment can be found at: http://joeinbelize.com/firesale
3. Vicky needs a babysitter/nanny for a couple of weeks.If you or anyone you know can donate or loan or discount babysitting services for the next few weeks, it would be greatly appreciated. This is so that Vicky and her daughter Jenny can focus on finding solutions for starting a new business without having to worry about the well-being of their 1-year old son/brother. This is very instrumental for them to pick up the pieces and to move forward with their lives.
4. Donations/Loans are needed.A bank account number will be provided in the next few days if you would like to make a donation. It’s VERY easy to stop by the bank and donate money to the account specified. Whatever amount you can afford would benefit the family. This is a bit of a sensitive matter for Vicky, but she is desparate to survive herself and her family, and all of her options have been expired. The money will be specifically used for Rent (family is currently looking for inexpensive accommodations), raising their 1-year old son (babies require a LOT of money), putting her other son through primary school (tuitions are expensive too) and starting a new business. If you would like to and are capable of providing a loan, a payment plan can be worked out accordingly. In the interim, until a bank account number is provided, please get in contact with myself or Vicky directly. Joe: joeinbelize@gmail.com | Vicky: leebriere_7@hotmail.com. EVERY DOLLAR WILL HELP. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE PRIOR TO THE ACCOUNT SETUP, PLEASE CONTACT ME OR VICKY.
5. Commercial Property is NEEDEDVicky and her daughter Jenny are starting another restaurant. Jenny came to San Pedro for vacation, and unfortunately lost her step-father during this time. She has since decided to reside on the island to help out her mother. In doing so, they are relying on the sale of the extra equipment that they don’t need (http://joeinbelize.com/firesale) or donations/loans. Another huge hurdle they need to overcome is finding a suitable commercial location for their new business. The idea is to start a restaurant that will cater to fast-food lunches, including sub sandwiches, burgers and fries, etc. The preferred location would be somewhere with good traffic. If a probation agreement can be made to discount a lease price for several months while the business gives Vicky and Jenny a chance to get on their feet, the family would be grateful. If you or anyone you know has a commercial property (in San Pedro) available, please contact me or Vicky. Joe: joeinbelize@gmail.com | Vicky: leebriere_7@hotmail.com

Whatever you can do, please do. Including the sharing/linking of this article. Post it to your blog, your facebook, MySpace, Twitter. Wherever. The more people that see it, the better the chances are for helping a family in need.

Thanks for reading, and hope to hear from you very soon.

Sincerely,

Joe Chung