“Ana loves to play with her siblings, especially her next oldest brother. Together, they sit in the front yard and push around little toy cars or a plastic ball,” says our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK).
The youngest out of 15 children, Ana lives with her family in Guatemala. She has down syndrome, which means she was born with an extra chromosome. This abnormality alters the way the body develops, slowing mental and physical growth. WK explains that at, “two years old, Ana was still not even close to walking. Her mother got worried and took her to the government health center where she was told that Ana has down syndrome.”
“Now, at five years old, Ana is extremely developmentally delayed and has issues communicating with others,” WK shares. They add that the problems caused by her condition “make her extremely frustrated and negatively impact her quality of life. Ana’s parents simply do not have the resources to pay for the physical and speech therapy she need to thrive.”
With $1,385, Ana will work with speech and physical therapists to help her overcome development obstacles. She will also receive several examinations, as WK says, “a lab work up will allow us to identify any other conditions she may have, thus improving our ability to assist her further.”
Therapy will help Ana by teaching her to “communicate better and interact with others,” WK comments. “It will allow her to attend school, increase her ability to learn and absorb information from her surrounding environment and ultimately increase her quality of life.”
Ana’s mother expresses, “she is my baby and I just want to do what I can to give her the best life possible.”
