His name is Miguel and he is 7. We met him on a research trip to Honduras, where a writer, photographer and project manager team were gathering stories to share with our donors. Miguel lives with his family in the town of San Lorenzo, in the barrio of Altos del Sur, a community of 300 families. His father, the breadwinner of the family, died last year from cancer.
About a month after the father died, Miguel was with his mother, Carlotta, who was trying to sell scrap metal to feed her family. Carlotta’s arms were full of the metal and she couldn’t hold onto her son’s hand. Miguel, who was still wrought with grief and loss, thought he saw his father across the street, and so he ran into the street trying to catch up to this hopeful vision and he was hit by a car. Looking across the street Carlotta said, “I thought he was dead.”
Fortunately he was not, but he was severely injured. The driver who hit Miguel put him into the car and rushed him to the hospital, where doctors amputated his leg to save him. When we met him, this sweet boy with soft, soulful eyes was trying to keep up with the other children in the barrio on a homemade wooden crutch that had no padding. Through our generous donors, we were able to provide Miguel with a modern crutch and food and supplies for his family.
Although Miguel’s vision of his father was an illusion of grief, we envision the reality of a brighter future for him, through the love of donors like you.
– By Benjamin Rusnak & Bonnie Vanak