Wider Circle’s Stories From The Circle: When Jorge faced loss and illness, his community rallied to carry him.

Some people are the ones everyone counts on: first to arrive, last to leave, always there. The real test of a community is what happens when they finally need to lean on it.

In this edition of Stories from the Circle, meet Jorge, a longtime member and ambassador who always showed up for others. Then came losses and health battles of his own, and the community he’d spent years supporting showed up for him.

We hope his story reminds you that the care we give others has a way of coming back around when we need it most.

Jorge F.

The One They Count On: How Community Carried Jorge

Through tragic loss and unexpected health struggles, the community Jorge spent years supporting was there to hold him up.

Jorge and his wife were the heart of their Wider Circle community: first to arrive, last to leave, always ready to give a ride to anyone who needed one. Whether passing out pandemic supplies from his truck or helping organize events, they were the people others relied on.

Then life asked Jorge to lean on the circle he’d built.

In 2020, his wife passed away suddenly from a heart attack, the warning signs easy to miss. In his grief, Jorge leaned on the people around him: “After my wife passed, I found comfort and support with my group of pura vida,” Jorge said.

Jorge decided to turn his loss into something that could protect others, becoming an advocate for heart health at Wider Circle events and sharing his story so fellow members would know the symptoms to watch for.

A few years later, Jorge lost his son. The community he’d always supported showed up for him. Members reached out, checked in, and reminded him they were there for whatever he needed. When funeral costs became a burden, his Wider Circle community came together to help cover them. Before long, Jorge was back, and he’s attended almost every gathering since.

When Jorge’s vision declined and he could no longer drive safely, the members he’d spent years picking up began picking him up instead. Then a stroke left one side of his face weak. One eye wouldn’t fully close, and he had to tape it shut to sleep. His community reached out, and members who had survived strokes themselves showed him the facial exercises and massages that had worked for them. Jorge followed their lead, and little by little the movement came back. Today his eye closes on its own again.

His community keeps him on top of his own care, too. Jorge stays current on his annual wellness visits: “Speaking with members helps me remember,” he said.

Through all of it, Jorge never stopped giving back. He’s still one of his community’s most active ambassadors: calling to check in on fellow members, inviting them out, and showing up for others going through hard times the way they once showed up for him. In 2025, that dedication earned him a nomination for Wider Circle’s National Ambassador Award.

His steadiness, the optimism and energy he’s carried through every health challenge, is its own quiet invitation for others to stay engaged, too. Ask Jorge what he loves about Wider Circle, and his answer is simple: “Helping others.”

Thank you, Jorge, for sharing your journey and reminding us that what we give to others tends to find its way back when we need it most. And thank you to our sponsors for helping make stories like Jorge’s possible every day.