“For a year, my daughter carried me around everywhere. But today, I will be able to be more independent and even go to church alone.”These are the words of Catalina Romero, a 65 year old woman from Ciudad Sandino in Managua, Nicaragua’s capital.
Until May of 2008, Mrs. Romero was able to walk and lead a normal life. She had lived with diabetes for 18 years of her life when she awoke one morning with her right foot turning purple. She went to the doctor who gave her treatment to stop it from spreading to the entire leg. Sadly, it was unsuccessful. Catalina said she felt like she would rather die than have to live without her leg, but her daughter cried and begged her to be positive about the situation because she needed her mother present in her life. A couple of months later, Catalina’s right leg was amputated.
From the moment she had her leg surgically removed, Mrs. Romero’s perspective on life changed drastically. Finding herself completely dependent on others for the first time in her life, she felt herself a burden on her daughter’s life. She hated the feeling of having to depend on people to get around, knowing that her independence as a woman no longer existed. Her mood swings were strong, getting more depressed and discouraged by the day.
On May 26, Catalina received a donation from ANF that changed her life - a wheelchair. Her outlook visibly changed from the moment she laid eyes on her wheelchair. Her first trip on it, she said, would be to the nearby church with her daughter and grand-daughters.
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