Nikki Bendana’s life story is one of resilience, survival, and the healing power of community. 

She was born in Nicaragua and came to California in 1983, at age 12, as an orphan of the war. Her great-aunt brought her first to San Francisco, then to Mountain View and San Jose. But her early years in the U.S. were marked by hardship. “I didn’t speak English, and I was always scared,” Nikki recalled. “When I tried to tell people what was happening, no one listened.” She endured abuse at home and in foster care until Catholic Charities intervened and placed her in a safer environment. 

At 21, Nikki became a mother. But her relationship with her aunt grew even more strained after her aunt discovered she was gay. “She told me I was a sinner, that I didn’t belong in the family. She just threw me out,” Nikki said. Around this time, she also faced cancer and later survived a car accident. “Life kept knocking me down,” she reflected, “but I’ve always been a fighter. I don’t give up easily.” 

In 2009, Nikki found stability through a domestic violence shelter and later housing at the Verona apartments. That same year, she began volunteering at Glide. “At first I went just to help in the kitchen,” she remembered, “but soon I realized GLIDE was giving me so much more. GLIDE gave me friends, family, and a safe place where I could be myself.” It was the kindness of the people she met at GLIDE that lifted her most: “They didn’t judge me. They accepted me just the way I am.” 

Her life changed again when her daughter was unable to care for her children. Nikki stepped in, becoming both mother and grandmother at once. “I became mom and grandma at the same time — it was overwhelming,” she said. Suddenly caring for two infants only a year apart, she leaned again on community programs. “GLIDE’s Family Resource Center, SOMA prenatal services — they were my angels. They helped me with furniture, childcare, and food. But most importantly, they gave me encouragement when I felt alone.” 

Today Nikki is raising Christian and Marcos, now four and five. She describes them as her greatest blessing: “These kids gave me the will to live again. They gave me purpose.” She adds, “When I see them smile, I know everything I went through was worth it.” 

Nikki’s gratitude for GLIDE and similar programs runs deep. “GLIDE didn’t just help me survive — they gave me love, and that’s something I never had growing up,” she said. “That love changed everything.” She wants others, especially in the Latino community, to know support is available: “So many of us stay silent, thinking we must carry the burden alone. But I want people to know — you don’t have to struggle in silence. There is help, and there is hope.” 

Through war, abuse, rejection, illness, and poverty, Nikki’s voice and spirit endure. Her story is a testament to survival, community, and the unbreakable will to keep moving forward.