June 2008 - Chuy Pinones

You may remember us telling you about Chuy Piñones, the little boy who was born with hydro-cephalus, or excess fluid on the brain. Despite all the setbacks and hurdles he has had to overcome in his young life, including the death of his mother, Chuy is such a happy and cheerful little guy and brings joy to everyone he meets.

Recently Chuy started having fainting spells so we took him to a doctor in El Paso to find out what was wrong. We assumed it was complications from the hydrocephalus but the doctor ruled that out and said it was not neurological. When he checked Chuy’s heart, he detected a heart murmur and said that we needed to get an echocardiogram done. Thankfully we found another doctor who was willing to do the expensive test at a discounted price, and the results showed that one of the blood vessels in Chuy’s heart was leaking and needed to be repaired. In the providence of God this same doctor, a pediatric specialist, agreed to do the surgery, and we found out later that he was the only doctor in the area who was qualified to do the delicate procedure.

The day before the surgery, Jim Gallagher brought Chuy and his grandmother to the international bridge to get the necessary permits to cross into the United States. Usually there is a two hour wait as the humanitarian visas are issued, but the director of the bridge, who is a friend of ours, spotted Jim and came to see who he was bringing over. After hearing the story she got her people to speed up work on the visas, then asked Chuy, “Are you hungry?” “Oh, yes!” responded Chuy emphatically (he always seems to be hungry!). The staff had just finished having a business meeting and there were leftover sack lunches, so Chuy and his grandmother feasted on fine deli sandwiches and fresh fruit. The director, who oversees 1000 employees, stooped down and tied Chuy’s unlaced shoe while saying to Jim, “I only wish we had some toys for Chuy to play with.”

The next day in preparation for surgery, the nurses had a tough time getting an I.V. going and it was hurting Chuy a lot. He was very brave and thank God that seemed to be the hardest part of the whole operation. The procedure to repair the leaky valve went fine. As he awoke in pediatric intensive care, the nurse asked Chuy, “How do you feel?” “Hungry,” he murmured. He had already won the hearts of everyone on the floor, and one of the nurses ran out to McDonalds and bought him a Happy Meal instead of serving the usual hospital food. Seeing him chomp contentedly on his cheeseburger, they knew Chuy was going to be okay.

He was released the next day and is back at home doing fine. The next hurdle that awaits is a surgery to repair his cleft palate, but knowing Chuy he will take it in stride with a smile on his face.