What´s up with Inti?

In the last weeks many of you have been asking about Inti and his future operation. On the following lines we would finally like to answer your questions.


Since the last post we wrote a lot has changed in his situation.
The key part came when we got referrals for a different doctor we decided to consult before taking any important decisions – this time in a municipal hospital, which automatically meant at least two things – it would be cheaper but take longer before the operation can take place. The doctor, albeit young, is a real expert and has been recommended to us by several people – among them the director and therapist from a special school in Ambato where they work with children with the same defect. Upon seeing Inti walk and examining him he pronounced a meaningful “chuta” and went along to explain that his muscles are way too weak for him to undertake such a serious operation right now and that he will definitely need a few months of physiotherapy before getting his legs operated on. On the other hand, Inti’s right leg possibly seems fine enough to be fixed just with physiotherapy so he will only need an operation on the left one. The price is significantly lower than that indicated by private doctors so much of the money we collected can go into the extended physiotherapy, finding a good health insurance etc. The tentative date for the operation has been set for the end of February but it is possible it will be postponed even further. Everything depends on how much progress he makes in the next weeks/months.

If the idea of putting the operation off sounds like a setback, believe me, it really is not. We started attending the physiotherapy right after talking to the doctor – an hour a day, everyday if possible – Inti is always accompanied by one volunteer and, more importantly, both his parents, plus often his sisters or brothers. There is a palpable hope in the air felt by everyone and the first fruits of the therapy are already visible. In the last couple of weeks Inti has made a significant progress towards stepping on his left heel and not crossing his legs scissor-style when walking. The exercises are also easy enough to be done at home or school with the assistance of parents or volunteers, which will go a long way towards speeding up the process. Most importantly, however, he needs to walk – slow, very slow, and with the correct form – which can be really hard if you’ve spent your life walking on your tiptoes. With enough time and practice the neural pathways in his brain can be rewired to work in sync with his muscles.



We are currently building two platforms with parallel bars he can hold on to while walking, that will help him practice on his own and become more independent – one to be placed at the school, the other one at his house.

Thanks to all the generous donations we have received (or were promised…you know who you are(;) from a number of you we believe we can cover all the costs associated with the operation and the rehabilitation process, and can thus declare our fundraising efforts a success.  We do need money for the school and other projects we are working on so if you were thinking of donating, we will be grateful for any future contributions. Thank you all so much for your ongoing support which makes projects like this possible!



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