Our Why

Mama Jaja’s Angels was born from love, loss, and the belief that no one should face chemotherapy alone.

When my aunt was battling breast cancer that spread throughout her body, I sat beside her during every chemotherapy session at City of Hope. Together, we rode the rollercoaster. The emotional highs and lows, the laughter between IV drips, the hopeful days and the heartbreaking ones.

After her treatments, I’d make her fresh juices because it was hard for her to eat, and it became our small ritual of care and healing. During those long sessions, people often told her how lucky she was to have someone by her side, that they had to go through it alone. Those words never left me. I realized how many people face this exhausting, emotional process without a friend to hold their hand or remind them why they’re fighting.

I was the lucky one being able to be by her side.

Mama Jaja’s Angels was created to close that gap. Alongside many like-minded, compassionate volunteers, our mission is to bring companionship, comfort, and nourishment to individuals undergoing chemotherapy and facing other challenges through friendship, shared care, and community support.

The name “Mama Jaja” comes from my grandma, the woman who taught me the importance of kindness, juicing, and being a vessel of love in the world. Her love and the resilience of my aunt lives on through me and my family. Our hope is to bring light and hope into treatment rooms and beyond.

Through every visit, every activity, every glass of juice, and every shared moment, we hope to make individuals feel seen, loved, and never alone, just as Mama Jaja taught me.