Juan getting his new prosthesis fitted
Juan selling pop, water and candy in front of the hospital
Pictures we took just before he went in to get his prosthesis fitted.
I´d like to share one experience from this week with you.
Juan is a young man in our shelter who just turned 20 last week. He’s a very likeable farm boy. He can rope and ride and drive a tractor and truck—or at least he used to.
When he was 17 years old he left home in Honduras to try to go to the US. His parents were very poor and he wanted to help them. He was riding on top of the freight train when someone from a gang pushed him off. The train cut off part of his foot and his leg was severely fractured. Mexican Immigration picked him up, sent him to a hospital in Guatemala where he received initial care, then he was sent on to a hospital in Honduras where he spent 5 months. The leg never did heal.
One night when his Father was coming home from work Juan heard him call out. He said he was slow because he had to get his crutches and couldn’t move very fast. As he got out the door, he saw some guys shoot his father and take the $10 he had in his pocket. Juan said it was payday and he’s sure they were watching him to rob him.
Juan had heard about our shelter and came here last October looking for help. He had an amputation, all went well, and this week he got his prosthesis. The hospital here did the surgery at no cost to him. All medicines (including anesthesia) and the prosthesis were covered by Olga. The prosthetist does his work at a discount for Olga. When he gave the prosthetic leg to Juan, he asked if he couldn’t take him to church to give thanks to God. Apparently the prosthetist and his family were in a very severe accident recently and he promised God that the next person from the shelter that he made a prosthesis for, he would bring to church to give thanks.
Juan is with tears of gratitude and anxious to be able to go back to see his mother with his new leg.
