Running For A Cause: Part 3

As mentioned in my prior posts, this upcoming Sunday, January 24th, I’ll be running in the Miami Half Marathon to raise money and awareness for Misioneros Del Camino—a home for orphaned, abandoned, and malnourished children in Guatemala. Over the course of the next few days, I’ll be writing about Misioneros Del Camino and sharing the incredible background story of one brave woman’s calling from above to make a difference, as well as various success stories of some of the many children who grew up at MDC.

In 2006, a beautiful dream of Mami Leo’s had finally come true; a neurological center was established on site, providing special education, care, and numerous therapies to children with various neurological and developmental disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, and many more. With a great team of certified therapists and psychologists, each year, hundreds of children are able to obtain the necessary treatments that they wouldn’t be able to receive anywhere else. Some of the various therapies include speech, physical, occupational, sensorial, and psychological therapy.

Imagine having a child in need of special care, but not having the funds to give your child the best possible care. On top of that, imagine having to work every day to provide for the rest of your family, all while living in a location with limited resources for your child in need. Misioneros Del Camino offers neurological care to children in need at no cost whatsoever. In addition to the necessary services, the neurological center on site provides the children with meals throughout the day, and offers transportation to pick up the child (and an accompanying parent) all for free. This significantly decreases any burden the family may have previously experienced, all while giving such children the necessary skills to be more independent and be put on a path to receive the bright future they each deserve.

One such child who has benefited immensely from the various therapies he receives at the Neurological Center is Alejandro. Alejandro arrived at the home nearly fifteen years ago at the age of six months old with a presenting history of cerebral palsy and delayed cognitive development. Throughout the years, he has been receiving daily therapies at the Neurological Center, and has shown tremendous progress. His physical, emotional, and neurological development have improved significantly and he is very involved with all of the activities taking place throughout the home. When Alejandro was first evaluated years ago, the staff at Misioneros Del Camino was told that he would never be able to walk or stand on his own. However, since receiving numerous daily therapies at the Neurological Center, he has been able to walk, run, eat, dress, and bathe all on his own. Alejandro loves all types of outdoor activities, especially playing ball! Thanks to the incredible work being done at Misioneros Del Camino, children like Alejandro can receive the medical care they need, while enjoying their childhood to the fullest.

In honor of the work Mami Leo has done, in continuing her legacy, and to help provide a bright future to the current generation of children at Misioneros Del Camino, I am running in this week’s Miami Marathon. If you would like to help contribute to this incredible cause so that we can help fulfill Mami Leo’s mission, please feel free to click on the below link. And if you would like to learn more about Misioneros Del Camino, please feel free to clink on the bottom link.

https://www.gofundme.com/5y82yn78 
www.misionerosdelcamino.org 

Reaching New Heights at Misioneros Del Camino

In 1986, Mami Leo answered a call from God to pack her belongings and move to Guatemala to help abandoned, abused, and malnourished children. With $2,700 raised by her and her prayer group, and faith that the Lord would guide her, Mami Leo devoted nearly thirty years of her life living in the mountains, nourishing, educating, and loving countless Guatemalan children in need. Throughout the past month, I have been discussion the incredible milestones that Misioneros Del Camino has accomplished thus far. As the story continues, we pick back up in 2011.

As you might remember from a previous post, in 2006, a neurological center was established on site, providing care and numerous therapies to children with various neurological disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and many more. In 2011, an expansion on the neurological center was completed in an effort to provide service to more children than our current facilities would allow. The expansion was devoted to both occupational and sensorial therapy.

Occupational therapy consists of teaching children everyday skills from getting dressed, to writing and more. Sensorial Therapy deals with sensory issues such as not being able to eat certain types of food, not being able to stand in a bright room, and more severe issues like the inability to sense hot or cold and high sensitivity to touch. To put this into perspective, imagine if someone touched you and it felt as though thousands of ants were crawling on you. Many children with Autism and sensory disorders cannot even be hugged or touched by their mothers because of such sensations. But thanks to the generosity of such great supporters, more will children will be able to hug their mothers and accomplish ordinary tasks that we would normally never even think twice about.

One such child who benefits from the therapies offered at the neurological center is Darlin, who is pictured below being carried on her mother’s back. She is four years old and has cerebral palsy. They live in a very poor village about 20 miles from the Neurological Center. To bring Darlin to therapy, her mother has to carry her daughter on her back to take a bus that leaves her about 5 kilometers from the Center, and then she walks the rest of the way with her daughter on her back. To return home, she does this again. She has been doing this since 2011 to help her daughter. Darlin has made fantastic progress! She is starting to take her first steps and is saying a few words. Hers is a long road, but there is hope. A few short years ago, she would not have had any hope or access to help, but thanks to the Neurological Center, that is no longer the case.

Expansion at the Neurological Center

Some of the Various Therapies at the Neurological Center

Darlin and Her Incredible Mother

Misioneros Del Camino: The Opening of a Neurological Center

In 1986, Mami Leo answered a call from God to pack her belongings and move to Guatemala to help abandoned, abused, and malnourished children. With $2,700 raised by her and her prayer group, and faith that the Lord would guide her, Mami Leo devoted nearly thirty years of her life living in the mountains, nourishing, educating, and loving countless Guatemalan children in need. Throughout the past month, I have been discussion the incredible milestones that Misioneros Del Camino has accomplished thus far. As the story continues, we pick back up in 2006.

In 2006, a neurological center was established on site, providing care and numerous therapies to children with various neurological disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and many more. With a great team of certified therapists, psychologists, and doctors, hundreds of children are able to obtain the necessary treatments that they wouldn’t be able to receive anywhere else.

In addition to special education, various types of therapies are provided to the children at the neurological center including: speech, physical, psychological, occupational, and sensorial therapy. Neurological and psychological evaluations as well as parental and therapeutic training seminars are also provided so that the children can learn to overcome the obstacles faced with their neurological disorders to the best of their abilities.

As you can see in the video below, all it takes is determination and a dream to make a difference in someone else’s life, which is exactly what Mami Leo has been done for nearly thirty years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0mi8kCMyZ0

Special Education at the Neurological Center

Various Therapies at the Neurological Center

Snapshot Challenge Saturday

Since this past week has been all about my half marathon training for Misioneros Del Camino, I wanted to dedicate my Snapshot Challenge Saturday to the cause as well. Meet Luz, whose name translates to “light” in English. Luz has autism, and came to the home a year ago. While a common aspect of autism includes impaired social interaction, Luz broke through one of autism’s biggest characteristics when she walked up to me and held my hand. It was truly a beautiful experience, and if that doesn’t follow through with my challenge of capturing beauty this year, then I don’t know what does.

Luz, or “light”