Kids Page

Santiago

This is Santiago Barerra, age 3. His early diagnosis was paralysis of unknown origin.
He was brought to the Manos Clinic in by his parents. They had recently moved to the Border area from the Mexican State of Guerrero in the hope that work opportunities were more plentiful. Quite suddenly, almost overnight, Santiago had begun to lose the use of his legs and then his left arm. Santiago was diagnosed with paralysis of unknown cause at the Social Security Clinic. His parents were convinced he was going to slowly get worse and expire. Resigned to this they made a small nest for him on the floor of the tiny trailer they and their other child live in and were waiting for Santiago to die. A member of the Barerra's barrio spoke to them of the up coming Manos clinic at La Esquela De La Montaña in October of last year, and they brought him. Santiago's case was so compelling and inexplicable that our clinicians were not satisfied with the simple resignation of the early diagnosis. After his presentation at the Manos clinic, clinicians initiated the lengthy process of documentation and paperwork to get Santiago and his family across the border temporarily. We were successful in getting Santiago and his family residence at the Ronald Mac Donald House here in Tucson, and Santiago to a local specialist. He was ultimately diagnosed with Guillen-Barre. Treatment and therapy was developed in light of this new diagnosis. His prognosis is now very good. He is already walking and running. As you can imagine, Santiago's family is amazed and elated.

Beatrice

Beatrice is 11 years old. She was born with severe cranio-facial deformity. At age 5 she received preliminary re-constructive surgery to close the defects. A bone graft from her rib was temporarily placed in the front of her skull with wires. She was scheduled to return for the completion of the reconstruction within the year; however, Beatrice's father died and the family of 7 was left without support or insurance. She is still waiting to have her surgery completed. Her mother hitchhikes over 65 miles with Beatrice from Sonoita, Mexico to attend our clinic. They have no funds, insurance, or means to obtian medical care. The mother has attempted to obtain help through the Mexican Government programs but "COSMETIC" surgery is not considered to be a medical necessity, even thouth the wires have begun to abscess and protrude through her face. Beatrice does not attend school. Her speech is impared due to the structural deformities and she is extremely self-conscious about her appearance. She exibits mild developmental delays, but has not had any formal education. She has frequent headaches and pain from the wires in her face. This child has the potential to develop cognitively and socially if intervention can be obtained soon.If you have any ideas about how to obtain help for Beatrice here in the U.S. please contact us.

Caesar

Caesar is 18 months old. He was born with an anal-rectal fistula. This was discovered when he vomited feces at 3 days old. He then developed aspiration pneumonia. An ostomy and tracheotomy were done on an emergent basis. He was brought to our clinic at 3 months old because the parents had no means of obtaining ostomy supplies. At that time, Caesar was showing signs of pneumonia and malnutrition due to feeding difficulties because of the trach. The parents were maintining his airway with an antiquated suction machine. They had minimal training and supplies, but were providing care through love and perserverence. Caesar was placed on a modified nutritional suppliment, donated ostomy supplies and a suction machine were provided, and the family was trained in his care. He is now able to breath with the trach covered, is developmentally normal except for his inability to speak, and needs surgery to correct his rectal defect, close the ostomy, and remove the trach. Unfortunately, these surgeries are not considered to be an emergency and the family has no insurance. Dad is self-employed and therefore does not qualify for the Social Security Program. If you have any ideas about how to obtain help for Caesar here in the U.S. please contact us.

Gabriel

Gabriel was born with a facial hemangioma. His mother brought him to the Manos de Ayuda clinic when he was 3 months old. She had been told that the problem was bruising. The hemangioma continued to grow, preventing Gabriel from opening his eye to develop sight. This also caused sores inside his mouth and lips from the increasing pressure. An MRI was obtained through a donation and this showed that the hemangioma involves the soft tissue of the face and neck. Gabriel's airway is being compromised, as well as his ability to eat, develop normal speech and vision. He has been receiving steroids to decrease the swelling. This is only a temporary measure and cannot be continued due to potential side effects. Gabriel is now 16 months old. His physical development is normal and cognitively he appears on target. Surgical intervention would enhance his chances of normal development and significantly improve his quality of life. If you have any ideas about how to obtain help for Gabriel here in the U.S. please contact us.

Brenda

Brenda is 7 years old. When she was 3, her left eye was removed because of tumors. The family brought her to our clinic from a small village 150 miles away. A local doctor had told them that he needed to remove her other eye because of more tumors. The parents were unable to provide any other information about her condition. Brenda was brought to Tucson for an evaluation by an opthalmologist. He determined that there was an infection behind her ill-fitting prosthetic eye, and tumors developing behind her right eye. He had recommended a follow-up visit within a year to monitor her status and provide a new prosthetic eye. Brenda needs to be brought back to Tucson for further treatment to save the vision in her right eye and to obtain a correctly fitted prosthetic eye. The family is ineligible for the Social Security program because the father is an itinerant farm worker. He earns barely enough to feed and house the family. Brenda is on a growing waiting list for assistance.

All services and funds for children who seek help from Manos de Ayuda are obtained through donations.