Diego
Diego is one of Martha and Eduardo’s eight children. They live in San Benito, in the rural high-valleys of Cochababamba. Diego is almost 11, and for such a young age, he has faced many challenges. He recently had an open heart surgery to fix a congenital heart malformation (a ventricular septal defect, VSD). Diego was referred to our local office of Puente de Solidaridad by one of the Sisters of Guadalupe, an order of nuns who run the Rehabilitation Center of the High Valleys in Punata. Diego has intestinal problems and needs colostomy and other surgeries. After several hospital visits in Punata and Cochabamba, his doctors determined that before they can treat his intestinal and kidney conditions, they have to treat his heart. That is how we met Diego.
Diego captured our attention when he and his parents visited our offices of Puente de Solidaridad; he is very quiet and shy. He is also very curious and observes everything with curiosity. He is short for his age and is malnourished. Diego has not learned how to read or write, in great part because of his health challenges, but also because of the neglect from his parents. This has brought also the attention of the state’s child protective agency, who, with the help of Diego’s grandmother, are trying to cover Diego’s needs as well as that of his smaller siblings.
Diego is the son of a big community, and we at Solidarity Bridge, are honored to be able to help a little bit in his wellbeing and healthcare. He is recuperating very well from his heart surgery and has gained some weight. On our last home visit, Diego shared with us that he can now play with his siblings. This brings us hope for the days to come. Diego still needs surgeries to treat other health conditions, but is on his way to a full recovery. He is also attending the Rehabilitation Center where he is learning to read and write. All this, as he said, “is good.”