Winning battles, inch by inch
Imagine losing feeling in one of your legs
This is what happened to Juan Pablo, from Arandas, Jalisco, at the age of 4, as a result of an incident. A case of medical negligence during surgery caused nerve damage to his right leg, resulting in the child not feeling his leg, multiple fractures and growth problems in that limb.
Since then, Juan Pablo, now 19, and his family have been searching for the right care for him, but with no success. In a very long and costly process, the family visited many doctors but did not come across significant results.
When Juan Pablo was 14 years old, however, someone recommended that the family visit Shriners Children's Hospital Mexico, where they finally found the kind of support they had been searching for years.
Juan Pablo is currently undergoing a limb lengthening treatment. Over the past five years, he has undergone three very important surgeries. The process began with lengthening of his femur and the professionals are now lengthening his tibia and fibula. These procedures helped turn the initial 17-centimeter (6.7 in) difference in the length of Juan Pablo's legs into a much more attainable goal, with only 7 centimeters (2.75 in) left to correct.
Juan Pablo's story is not just about surgery and his medical journey. During this time, he has achieved important goals, marking his personal growth. He competed in volleyball in high school, a significant achievement that comes to show the 19 year old not only has a great physical ability, but also a strong determination. He has gained invaluable personal confidence and is now able to live with a degree of independence that was previously deemed impossible.
My experience at Shriners Children's has been so pleasant. My advice for kids is not to give up. Remember that you can do it, you just have to work hard for it. To the doctors, thank you very much, you have been my guardian angels.
Proud Patient Ambassador
With the recent opening of the Shriners Children's Guadalajara clinic, Juan Pablo decided to proudly represent our mission and be the patient ambassador in charge of inaugurating the new clinic with the ribbon cutting.
Now, Juan Pablo will be able to receive the care he needs, closer to home, without having to travel 5 hours to Mexico City.
Pablo as a patient ambassador at the opening of the Shriners Children's clinic in Guadalajara
