Carolina Dotel and Ricardo Brea Larios’ marriage was marked by both deep love and tremendous hardship. Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, their life together was shaped early on by Ricardo’s diabetes diagnosis at just 21 years old.

As a young man, Ricardo was passionate about sports, especially tennis, swimming, baseball, and American football. He later graduated from UNPHU, a private university in Santo Domingo, with a degree in Hotel Management. He went on to run a business supplying restaurants and hotels, assisted numerous companies with advertising, and shared his expertise as an English professor at Dominico Americano.

Carolina attended Luis Munoz Rivera School, a private school in Santo Domingo, and earned an associate’s degree, where she built a career as an Executive Assistant. She also managed an international purchasing department, where her skill and dedication were evident in all she did.

Their lives changed dramatically as Ricardo’s health challenges intensified. In 2006, they made the difficult decision to immigrate to the United States seeking better medical care and a chance to stabilize his condition. What was meant to be an 18-month journey became a lifelong trial filled with medical setbacks, financial struggles, and moments that tested their faith.

Only three months after arriving in the U.S., Ricardo went into kidney failure for the first time. Carolina was working two jobs and pregnant with their second daughter when Ricardo began dialysis, a treatment he underwent for five years before receiving a kidney transplant. Even then, complications followed. By 2019, Ricardo’s kidneys had failed again. The couple waited for a second transplant, but blockages in his veins made the procedure impossible.

As Ricardo’s health continued to decline, his mobility became increasingly limited. He required dialysis three times a week, along with numerous doctors’ appointments, yet often felt too depressed to leave the bed that had been moved into their living room. Hoping to restore some independence, the couple sought a quotation for a used stairlift, but the cost was beyond their reach. Then, with a single phone call from Ricardo’s social worker to Loudoun County Social Services, their lives changed once again.

“Tree of Life showed up,” Carolina remembers, “and covered the cost of a stairlift for Ricardo so he could move from the basement to the living room and dining room. They also helped to organize our garage and convert it into a storage area and helped clean up their backyard.”

These practical acts of compassion became the start of a deeper relationship between the Brea Dotel family and Tree of Life. During hospital visits, Ricardo and Carolina were regularly met by Wayne Ruckman, Tree of Life’s Community Chaplain, who prayed with them and offered encouragement. Ricardo continued to suffer with a variety of health issues, including his heart, and a pacemaker was put in. In Ricardo’s final weeks in the ICU, Wayne sat at his bedside, reading passages of Scripture and lifting prayers. It was in those sacred moments that Ricardo opened his heart and accepted Jesus into his life, finding peace he had resisted for many years.

Though raised in a Catholic home, Ricardo often described himself as a “social Christian”—someone who attended church but struggled to let go of past hurts. Carolina explains that he carried the weight of an old betrayal long before they met. Despite being kind and joyful, that wound kept him from true faith.

But in his last days, Ricardo released that burden. Surrounded by God’s Word and the presence of Tree of Life, he accepted Christ and stepped into eternal hope. Ricardo entered heavens gates in May 2025.

For Carolina, Tree of Life’s presence in their journey was more than material support, it was a demonstration of God’s love at work. From providing a stairlift when the family couldn’t afford one to walking with them spiritually through Ricardo’s final days, Tree of Life became an anchor in their storm. Carolina has been a dedicated volunteer with Tree of Life for over three years, long before Ricardo’s passing. For her, every act of service is both a way of giving back and a testimony to God’s faithfulness in the hardest of seasons. We are so grateful to be witnesses to the Brea Dotel family and the lasting impact they have made in our community.