Yearly Archives: 2017

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Justo Accidentally Slashes Open His Foot

Category:Patients

Our monthly “patient-in-focus” story is about a recent low-income amputee. Justo is now walking again due to the work of our Bolivian partner, and another grant from Bolivians Without disAbilities. Many patients are like Justo – going about their daily lives until tragedy strikes. Here is Justo’s story:

The Accident Happened

“I used to work as a window glazier in a small glass company. I am a very careful worker, but one day I slashed my left foot on a fragment of glass. Unfortunately, I feared that if I left work to visit a doctor that I would risk losing my job. It was possible that someone else who could work the whole day would take it. So I hastily bandaged my foot and continued with my work. But over the course of the next year, the wound did not heal despite my best efforts to clean it and re-dress the bandage regularly.

They Took My Leg

A friend of mine who is a doctor took a look at my foot. He shook his head and explained how badly infected my entire leg was with gangrene. He urged me to go to the hospital because he was convinced that I should get my leg amputated. When I heard this I became severely depressed. Here in Bolivia losing a leg is almost always a sure way to lose your livelihood. I wanted to die rather than lose my leg and my only means to support my wife and children. My family had to convince me to have the surgery.

We didn’t have the money to pay the medical bills from the larger, safer hospitals in the capital so I first went to a cheaper local hospital. After 3 days in this hospital, having not been seen by any doctors and with many of the other patients around me dying, my condition continued to worsen. My wife took me to another hospital and proclaimed, “I don’t care how much it costs, please just save my husband.” In this second hospital, I was seen by doctors who confirmed that I needed an amputation of my left leg since the gangrene was very advanced.

I had to undergo a series of three operations. The first was below the knee. After the surgery it was determined that not all of the infection had been cut off. So I needed a second surgery. And then a third before the doctors were fully satisfied that the infection had been removed. Each time they had cut higher and higher. By the end they had removed my leg to a point above my knee. I thought about killing myself, but I knew that I couldn’t leave my wife and son alone, and so I continued on.

My Life Savings Were Exhausted

After I got out of the hospital everything changed for me and my family. For the first month after my operation, while I was still recovering in hospital, my family and friends would visit me frequently. Friends initially brought gifts of food, however, after a month, this support dwindled and my family and I found ourselves alone. Since I was unable to provide an income to support us our money quickly ran out.

When I was finally healed enough I found another job as a window glazier, but I was unable to undertake the work alone. My wife and young son had to accompany me to work every day. They had to do much of the heavy lifting and ensure that I didn’t fall over or have any other accidents at work. Even though the company was only paying for one person, they didn’t like this arrangement and I was let go again.

I Am Hopeful For My Future

Now that I have received a new prosthetic limb and I can walk again, I plan to find a new job. My young son to return to school. I will pay off my remaining medical bills, and I will support my family again. I am very hopeful for my future.

Thank you.
Justo”

If you would like to help more Bolivian amputees like this one, then please donate now.


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Javier’s Leg Shattered In Hit-And-Run

Category:Patients

Below you will read our monthly “patient-in-focus” story. It’s about a recent low-income amputee who is now walking with a prosthetic leg due to the work by our partner, and another grant from Bolivians Without disAbilities. Many patients are like Javier. They go about their daily lives when tragedy strikes.

Here is Javier’s story

“I was a highway construction worker until one day in November 2015. I was on a job site, alone at the moment while working on the main highway between La Paz and Oruro.  While walking along the motorway and inspecting the previous day’s work, a car sped towards me. It seemed oblivious that I was there on the side of the road. But the car slammed into me nonetheless, tossing my body and crushing my leg.

The driver then raced away in his damaged car, leaving me there on the motorway. I was completely alone. I was found after some hours and taken to a small local medical clinic, but they realized that they did not have the ability to treat such traumatic wounds as mine. So, hours later I was taken to a larger hospital in a nearby city. A traumatologist came to examine me after a delay that seemed like an eternity. His conclusion was that only an amputation would save my life. So, they took my leg off above the knee. I spent 3 months in the hospital recuperating after that.”

Life without a leg

Life without my leg was a huge change and a monumental challenge. The nurses at the hospital helped me to find ways to look after myself so that I was not totally dependent on my sons for help, such as: washing myself and cooking.

“I returned home, financially ruined. I had lost my job. It was the only way I knew how to earn a living; and, my life savings had been exhausted by hospital bills. I had no choice but to try to continue my life as best that I could; I had to try and figure out how to take care of my sons. They couldn’t be let down.”

I felt completely useless because I could not work. This was a very depressing fact after being such a self-sufficient man all of my life. This operation and subsequent difficult years, for my sons, were really a lesson in growing up. Their mother had passed away years before and now that I could not work, they had to work to support the family.”

Javier Makes His Own Prosthetic leg

Javier holding his homemade prosthetic leg“This made me determined to have a prosthetic leg. It would mean that I could walk, find work, provide for my boys,Rusty old spring serves as the "return-assist' prosthetic knee and hold my head high again. Some years after the operation, still hobbled on crutches, I decided to invent and build my own prosthetic leg. I have always been very mechanically inclined; A friend helped me search the internet for ideas. I began making my own prosthesis with scraps of metals and materials which I found discarded around my neighborhood. My first leg took me 3 months to make. That one did not last very long since it was my first attempt, so I tried again. My second one was far better, with a spring-loaded knee; it took only a few days. However, this second prosthesis became very painful after extensive use.”

“Luckily, this year I found out about the free prosthetic center, FUNPROBO, in La Paz. I fully expect to be able to return to work with the new prosthetic provided by FUNPROBO, unlike with my old homemade leg, which could only help me when I was in the house. This will relieve me of the economic dependence on my young sons. It will also mean my sons will be able to continue their education. Being able to walk again, without pain and outside the Javier's prosthetic leg is easy to disassemble.home, has lifted my spirits and my hopes and dreams for the future.”

“Thank You”, Javier.
(Javier received his prosthetic leg due to a grant from Bolivians Without disAbilities).

See how many other amputees have been helped by Bolivians Without disAbilities
Javier standing on his new prosthetic leg with LIMBS polycentric knee and Shape and Roll SACH foot.

 

If you would like to help more Bolivian amputees like this one, then please donate now.


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Bismark’s First Semester

Category:posts

Here is an update regarding Bismark, the apprentice prosthetist who works under the tutelage of Florencio. We told you about Bismark a few months ago, and about how he was studying remotely at Don Bosco University in Guatemala with the intent to become one of the very few ISPO II certified prosthetists in Bolivia. Bismark is only 20, but he really took charge while Florencio was in the hospital. Someday Bismark will probably become the lead technician for our prosthetic clinic partner in Bolivia. In early August Bismark flew to Lima Peru to take his first term exams and here is what Bismark had to say:

“I traveled to Lima, Peru on the 13th of August 2017 to complete my exam from my first semester of the course. The exam was held in ‘La Moderna’ one of the biggest orthopedic centers in Lima, Peru and the exam consisted of a written exam, oral, and practical components.

On Monday morning I met the group of people I’d be taking the exam with and my examiner for the module. The examiner was a professor called Gilberto Abarca German from the University course in El Salvador. My new colleagues for the week were Juan Carlos, Fernando, Julio Funtes, Victor, Hector and Felix. All together they have more than twenty years of experience in this area compared to my 2 years but they were all friendly and kind. I was very nervous for my exam week partly because the workshop was really different. The manner that we worked was more modern and ordered, but I had help from some of my work companions to settle in and find my feet.”

Students listening to professor on first day

 

Bismark’s exam included making a prosthesis for a below knee patient and one for an above knee patient. During this process, he was asked by the examiner to explain his work, talk through what he was planning to do before he did it, demonstrate what he’d learned from his first semester and his background knowledge and skills in the area of prosthetic manufacture.

“On Monday in the afternoon, I met my two patients, Sr Fransisco with a trans-tibial (below knee) amputation and Sra Trinidad with a trans-femoral (above knee) amputation. I proceeded to the take the molds from the two patients that afternoon and started my practical component of the exam. I was a bit stressed with the pressure of studying and work, and I had to adapt to the new center environment, but with the help of my new work companions I began to feel calmer.”

The two patients which Bismark was working with were both older adults, both had lost their limbs due to circulation issues and they both had type 2 diabetes. Bismark had a good founding knowledge of older patients and diabetic amputations from his work in Funprobo and what he’s learned so far from working with Florencio and the volunteers in La Paz. He has added his previous experience to his new knowledge from the course to be able to demonstrate how far he has come in the last 2 years.

Bismark went on to explain about the two patients he worked with during his week:-

“Sr Fransisco was using an old prosthesis which helped a lot in making a new one, as he already had the confidence and expectations around having a prosthetic leg. To make that prosthesis we put a KBM prosthesis with a soft lining and the patient walked from the first day he tried it.”

A KBM (Kondylen-Bettung Münster) is a different way to fit a prosthesis which is currently not used in Funprobo. It consists of a mold with soft padding on the inside and a sock system for added comfort for the stump. This is a new technique that Bismark has learned and is able to bring back to Bolivia for further consideration for Bolivian amputees.

“Sra Trinidad had huge problems with confidence. It was very difficult to practice with her with the prosthesis because she felt pain in her seat bone where she was weight-bearing but the above knee prosthesis style requires that she fully weight bear through that point. I had to make many modifications to her prosthesis for her to feel comfortable. In her case we used a suction valve and a belt for more security, we put and Ottobock knee 3R40 and a specific style of foot made to assist with blocking the knee to give her more confidence in the prosthesis. After three days of practicing Sra Trinidad could walk with help in the parallel bars and had more confidence and felt happier. I learned a lot from this experience and was very pleased with how I handled the situation and was able to make her a prosthesis she was happy with.”

Bismark was able to manage this lady so well from the great foundations he has from Funprobo and working with Florencio, as the suction and belt system is used a lot in above knee amputees in Funprobo. This prior experience meant Bismark had the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage this patient perfectly for his exam.

“On Friday we delivered the two prostheses to my two patients along with my examiner. Sr Fransisco and Sra Trinidad were very happy with my work and thanked me for their prostheses and chance to walk again.”

One of the main themes through Bismark’s synopsis of the week was how well the students all worked together and supported each other. Bismark is a very modest young man so is likely to have played down how much support he was also able to give his classmates from his experience and studies prior to doing the exam.

“Really it went very well, I worked with companions with lots of experience, they helped me and guided me and I learned a lot from them, they have helped me improve a lot on my work at Funprobo. We supported each other throughout the week and ensured we got a break each lunchtime by going out and eating lunch together. They told me about their previous experiences, how they treat patients and how clinicians should treat patients. The experience and the knowledge of the other prosthetic students made me feel very positive about my future and the way that I wish to continue learning and growing in my role. When we finished the exam we all went out to eat together and shared our last dinner as friends more than colleagues.”

As well as the experience and learning Bismark gained from the week of study and exams it was also the first time he had left Bolivia. He reflects on this as well:

“I tried lots of different foods, saw some of the city and learned about a new culture in Lima, I returned to Bolivia very thankful for the beautiful experience I had in Lima, Peru.”

We would like to thank everyone who has donated to make this happen for Bismark and for this charity. In particular, we would like to say a huge thank you to Share A Dream (www.share-a-dream.org) for their large educational grant, and all their support and positivity to make this happen for Bismark and for Funprobo. We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you who has supported Bismark’s journey so far and we are excited to know what the future holds for Funprobo with this new knowledge and skill set that Bismark brings back to Bolivia.

You can continue to support this incredible work of providing more prosthetic limbs to low-income amputees – limbs which will be made by Bismark and Florencio – by donating here

This story was written by Amy Souster.


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Florenico Is Back!

Category:Actualities

Florencio preparing a patient’s leg mold to be thermoformed.

We would like to give you an update regarding Florencio Calle, the head prosthetist at Centro de Miembros Artificiales (CMA), our main partner in Bolivia. Florencio was the indispensable worker who makes all the prosthetic limbs for our partner.  He needed critical surgery that he could not afford and we asked for you to help him in early July. And help you did, so now we have great news for you. Thanks to your generous support we were able to take care of all of Florencio’s hospital bills which covered two surgeries, a few weeks in the hospital and the follow-up medical care he needed. Due to this excellent care, he was able to avoid another amputation and is on the road to a full recovery. 

Florencio was ready and eager to get back to work in August to begin to help more low-income amputees. With the help of the assistant prosthetist, Bismark (see next story in this newsletter below), he has already produced and delivered 5 new prosthetic limbs and has been working on many more. See below information on the patients that have already received artificial legs in August due to Florenico’s work:

  • Lidia, 28 years old, suffered from bone cancer as a child. She tried using a prosthetic in the past but these were not adapted to her. She heard about CMA and the tailored work that we do. She left the center on the 11th of August with a new and comfortable prosthetic, feeling much more confident.
  • Michael, 25 years old, from Cochabamba, lost his leg in an accident in the countryside. He has been working as a hairdresser but felt strong discrimination due to his handicap. His dream is to go back to school and be a lawyer. With his new leg, he is ready to fight injustice and follow his ambition.
  • Francisco, 64 years old, lives in Uyuni and had the misfortune of losing his leg in a road accident. Since then he has been relying on the help of his sons. He left the center on the 22nd of August with a new leg and a smile on his face, eager to regain his freedom of movement and work.
  • Pedro, 57 years old, visited the center with his daughter and grandchild. Coming from the Yungas, the three of them stayed for a week in La Paz and the team loved the company of the whole family! Pedro lost his leg following a grave infection due to diabetes. He told us that his new prosthetic will be of great help in managing his work as a tailor and his fear of falling down.
  • Maria, 46 years old, came with her husband from Santa Cruz. She has diabetes and also lost her leg due to an infection. After the amputation, Maria was devastated and unable to support her family. She was hopeful when she heard about CMA and, after her adjustment to the altitude of La Paz, she quickly practiced walking with her prosthetic. Maria left the center with the faith of rapidly leaving her crutches behind.

Florencio on his first day back at work with his Bolivians Without disAbilities mug. If he looks a little weary, he is.

Florencio is an invaluable resource to our partner, CMA in Bolivia, and to the entire team there. Florencio and everyone at CMA would like to extend their sincerest thanks to Bolivians Without disAbilities for raising these funds so that Florencio could continue to provide more Bolivia amputees with the ability to walk again.

All extra funds raised, over and above covering these medical bills, will be used to make more prosthetic legs. If you would like to continue to ensure that more amputees will walk and live again, then please consider another donation here.


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Florencio Needs Surgery So He Can Help Others

Category:posts

Amputee with prosthetic leg

Amputee with prosthetic leg

Donate to Florencio’s surgery bills so Florencio can help others to walk again.

Florencio was born in 1963 and he first lost his leg when he was only 17 years old.  He was working with his father on a road crew doing street construction.  On one fateful day, there were some huge rocks that were on a hillside and obstructing the path of the roadway.  There was no specialized blasting crew to take crack them so Florencio and his father laid their own dynamite charges to break up the rock.  But after arming and attempting to detonate the dynamite, it didn’t explode.  After waiting some time, and with great trepidation, Florencio and his father started to approach the charges they had laid to see what went wrong.  As they were getting close suddenly the dynamite went off with a roar and massive rocks came crashing down the hillside.  Florencio’s father turned to look and saw that Florencio’s leg has been pinned to the ground under a huge rock.

Florencio’s first thought was to jump up and run away but he was trapped.  Rocks and dirt had also smashed into his head and peeled off a large chunk of skin from the side of his skull. His father ran to him in a panic and started to clean the injury, first with his own urine and afterward alcohol. And then his father sewed the skin of his head together with regular sewing needles and thread before they could take him to the hospital.  

After days of waiting in the hospital, the doctors finally amputated his hopelessly crushed leg.  But something went wrong during the surgery and days later they had to amputate again, a little further up the leg.  After more time spent in agony, they amputated even high up the leg for a third and final time.  Florencio was left with a stump below his knee and he was not yet even 18 years old.

When he finally got out of the hospital, he felt humiliated to be without a leg,  He didn’t want anybody to see him so he moved to a different city to try to start a new life.  After arriving in the new city, he knew that he had to work again to support himself, and he decided he wanted to study nursing.  But due to a fortuitous meeting with a man who worked for an NGO named “Terre des Hommes” Florencio found work.  At the NGO Florencio was introduced to prosthetic limbs and he decided that that was what he was going to do with his life – help others who had lost their limbs so that they could not only walk again but also regain their sense of dignity, pride, and self-worth.

Working for this NGO Florencio was given the opportunity to study Orthotics and Prosthetics in Peru and Brazil. He worked for Terre des Hommes for many years until they finally had to close.  But Florencio’s life path had now been set and for the next 30 years, Florencio constructed 1000’s of prosthetic legs as he also continued to pursue any additional training classes as he could find.

In January 2011 Florencio joined with our partner, FUNPROBO in Bolivia, to be their one and only prosthetic technician.  Working with FUNPROBO Florencio has already made an additional 350 prosthetic legs in the past 6 years.  And every one of these patients is low-income amputees who would never otherwise have had the opportunity to walk again without crutches, canes, or wheelchairs.

But one month ago, tragedy struck again when Florencio went to a local hospital due to intense pains in his amputated leg.  The doctors there realized that he had a severe infection and they operated to try to clean it.  Unfortunately, the operation was not successful and two weeks later he returned again in great pain only to find out that they were now recommending that he get a fourth amputation.  This time they would remove his leg about his knee.  Florencio knew that being an amputee above the knee is three times as difficult as below the knee and so, with medical bills mounting, he decided to go back to his home city of Cochabamba for a second opinion. He was desperate to avoid that additional amputation.  At the hospital in Cochabamba, in late June 2017, they performed another surgery to try to clear the infection again.  Florencio was in the hospital for 10 days and just got out this past weekend.  Now it is a wait-and-see game to determine if this final surgery was a success or if he will really need another amputation.

Due to all this, Florencio’s medical bills have already exceeded $4000 and could easily reach $5000 with follow-on care.  If Florencio truly does need another amputation then his medical bills will possibly reach at least $7000, and probably even more.

It is for this reason that we have set a fundraising goal to help Florencio so that we give back to the man who has helped so many others.  We want to be sure that Florenico is well taken care of after he has spent a lifetime taking care of others. All additional funds, over and above his medical bills, will be used to build more prosthetic limbs for other low-income amputees.

Please help Florencio and help other Bolivian amputees to walk again.  Donate here.


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TV Interview – ATB

Category:posts

On April 27th we were invited to appear on a live Bolivian TV morning news show along with Dr. Dante Chumacero, the president of our partner organization in Bolivia, FUNPROBO.  Channel 9, Asociación Teledifusora Boliviana “ATB” is one of the largest networks in Bolivia with national exposure.  Although our air time was very short, we were able to get our message out about our work in Bolivia. Immediately after the show, the phones at FUNPROBO started to ring with new patients who were just learning about the prosthetic center for the first time.  We hope and expect that this will be one more stepping stone to getting more TV exposure about the ongoing services that are offered by the prosthetic center, as well as getting more local donations and support from the government and other local organizations.  You can see the interview here – but spoiler alert, it is in Spanish 😀


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Patient – Alfredo was hit by a train

Category:Patients

Alfredo has received a prosthetic leg from our partner, FUNPROBO, in May 2017, and this is the story he told us:

Alfredo when he first arrived

“It was 1:30 in the afternoon in early August 2004 and I was working next to some train tracks. I needed to go to the bathroom, which was on the other side of the tracks, and as I stepped onto them, I suddenly noticed that a train was speeding towards me. I hadn’t seen the train at first because of all the little shacks and vendors which line the tracks. It is always a very dangerous situation and location but it is the only life that people know.”

“I tried to escape, however, the train was approaching too fast, I stumbled, and my leg was trapped under it. Thankfully the train stopped and the driver, along with some of my neighbors, came to my aid. I was in agonizing pain. My wife, son and one of the neighbors took me to the hospital as soon as they could. Unfortunately, in order to save me, they amputated my leg since it had been crushed and there was no hope to ever be able to use it again. A week later, another operation was performed to clean and remove an infection that had begun in my wound. This required me to stay in the hospital another 20 days to recuperate and rest, but this drained what little savings I had.”

“My entire life I have been very active. I was made to be moving, not glued to a bed. For the first month, the accident made me very depressed, but then I decided do something about it after I got out of the hospital. I couldn’t afford to buy a prosthetic leg, so I decided to make my own from any materials I could find, such as scrap metal, plastic and wood. Although very basic, this leg allowed me to return to work and start my life again. Since the amputation, I have made 3 or 4 different prosthetics. Over time, I was able to resume a lot of my normal activities, including organizing a football team and championship where I live in the countryside and participating in the folkloric traditions of my town, playing instruments and even dancing Tinku. These activities keep me going in life. However, my homemade prosthetics have never been anything but uncomfortable for me, so I was extremely excited when I heard about the opportunity to have a real prosthetic made for me at FUNPROBO.”

Alfredo with his new leg

“With my new leg, I will no longer be in constant pain, as I have been for nearly 13 years. I am ready to move forward with more force and life especially for my children and family. Without the constantly falling with my current prosthetic, I will be able to participate more fully in the sporting and folkloric activities in my town, which I love. I want to be a role model for people with disabilities; to show them that they should not give up and that they too are allowed to have hope and strength.”

“Thank you FUNPROBO.

Alfredo”

See Alfredo dancing now: [huge_it_video_player id=”3″]

(Note, as always, this story was dictated by the patient and then translated into English). Every month your ongoing donations will give more amputees like Alfredo a new lease on life and an opportunity to regain their livelihood and happiness. 

If you would like to help more Bolivian amputees like this one, then please donate now.


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Bolivians Without disAbilities is 2 years old

Category:posts

Bolivians Without disAbilities is proud to announce that we are just over two years old now.  We incorporated in the state of Florida on March 4th 2015, and received our IRS official non-profit status on March 23rd 2015. From a short year in 2015 through the end of 2016 your donations have been able to double the number of disabled Bolivians that we have been able to help.  In 2017 we look forward to providing even more prosthetic limbs for low income Bolivian amputees.  As we continue to work with our past supporters, expand our reach to new donors and foundation grants, as well as make new associations with other organizations such as Handicap International and International Red Cross. 

To see how how many Bolivian lives have been changed based on our support, check out our statistics.


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98% of Donations went directly to help Bolivians in 2020

Category:Uncategorized

An important question for many donors is “what percentage of donations to Bolivians Without disAbilities is going to support disabled Bolivians?“.  On May 15th, we completed our 990 tax report for 2020 (Due May 15th) and we have achieved our goal of using 98% of donations to help disabled Bolivian amputees. If you have ever investigated how much charities typically spend directly on their mission, vs salaries and other overhead, you will find that our 98% of spending on Bolivia programs is an extraordinarily low figure.  

We achieve this super low overhead by having:

  • zero salaries
  • zero travel expenses
  • zero facility expenses
  • zero postal marketing costs

as well as other, what would be “typical” expenses, that we are able to avoid. We can do this because we are run by an all volunteer staff and use exclusively electronic communication, like this newsletter.  Our largest expense is bank fees (mostly PayPal, which charges us 2.9% for each dollar collected – but this is also EXCELLENTLY low), and web site hosting.  

In contrast:

You will soon find our tax return on Guide Star, which has a free login.


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Patient – Angelica Worked in the Mines

Category:Patients

Angelica received a prosthetic limb in 2017 and here is what she told us:

My leg was amputated on October 21st 2016, but the full story begins months before that. I was an employee at a Silver Mine in Potosi.” (Historical note: Potosi was one of the richest cities in the world in the 1600’s due to the abundance of silver that was found there – and thousands of Bolivians still eke out a living there today toiling under dangerous conditions in the mining industry.)

“My job was to tend the machine that would melt silver, to make sure no one would come in during this process. I enjoyed my job and family life. Then one day I fell and fractured my femur just above the knee and had to go to the hospital where I had surgery to correct the bone. In most modern procedures, one would put a plate and screws into the bone to ensure it healed correctly. But due to a lack of resources, knowledge or skill, the doctors cut corners and decided that putting only screws in, without the plate, would be enough to heal the fractured bone. As you may guess, it didn’t solve the issue, but it caused me a great deal of pain. I wasn’t even able to move my knee following the surgery. After some time passed, the immobile knee and leg became increasingly painful.  I went back to the doctor who did the surgery and asked for help. This doctor was rather curt, rude and mean. He didn’t take the time to listen to my problems. So he insisted on forcing my knee to bend. Instead of helping me, he caused not only a second fracture, but also caused the screws to tear out of the bone and into the flesh. This caused my such significant pain that I required a private doctor’s visit. I have 3 children and a luxury like that was an absolute last resort.  But the pain was so awful I felt like I had no other option.“

“At this visit the doctor discovered a very large lump on my leg, but his office did not have the resources to be able to do a biopsy. He recommended that I go to a hospital in La Paz to seek further treatment. This private doctor even asked me “who did that last awful surgery to you???”.   I followed my second doctor’s instruction and traveled a long distance from Potosi to La Paz to have more tests completed. After a week an oncologist declared that it was a tumor and they would need to amputate the leg. Less intensive options were not given to me. I had no choice, the leg had to go to save my life. I had to keep on living for my children’s sake. “

My life changed dramatically from this loss. I have three children to support, no job and no husband since he died years ago. I have a lot of stress and concern to manage. In addition I now rely on my children’s help for almost everything. I rely on my oldest daughter to travel with me to help support me up and down steps. I am totally dependent on others as I am not able to independently interact with my community. I frequently get laughed at in the market due to my amputation. I have endured lot of physical and emotional pain from this injury, but I refuse to give up. I try to maintain a great deal of hope, and look forward to all the things I will be able to do again with my new limb.”

“My life changed dramatically from this loss. I have three children to support, no job and no husband since he died years ago. I have a lot of stress and concern to manage. In addition I now rely on my children’s help for almost everything. I rely on my oldest daughter to travel with me to help support me up and down steps. I am dependent on others help as I am not able to independently interact with my community. I frequently get laughed at in the market due to my amputation.  I have endured lot of physical and emotional pain from this injury, but I refuses to give up and I try to maintain a great deal of hope, and look forward to all the things I will be able to do again with my new limb.”

“I have two primary things that I look forward to doing. First I would like to get my dignity and self respect back by retaking my role as the primary caregiver of my household. Secondly I would like to increase my independence – I would like to return to working in the silver mines and earning money to support my family and all this will help me to put an end to the discrimination I feel every day as a helpless amputee”

“Thank You!”

                                       Angelica

(Note, as always, this story was translated into English).

Every month your ongoing donations will give ever more amputees like Angelica a new lease on life and an opportunity to regain their livelihood and happiness.  

If you would like to help more Bolivian amputees like this one, then please donate now.


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