CHILD
of the month

By Rich Petersen

Rosario Guadalupe Rodríguez Huizar

This is 8-month old Rosario Guadalupe Rodríguez Huizar in the arms of her mother, María de Jesús. Rosario (or “Chayito” here in Mexico) is the youngest of six children and lives with her mother, father and siblings in Ajijic. Mom is a housewife and Dad works in construction.

Little “Chayito” was born without a left eye, as is evident in the photograph taken at the December meeting of Niños Incapacitados, and is being evaluated for a prosthetic eye.

This condition is known as anophthalmia. It is very rare and occurs approximately in 1.0 per 10,000 births. The condition can be present at birth or acquired later in life; in “Chayito’s” case she was born lacking her left eye. As to why a child is born without an eye, most studies have concluded that it is from a genetic mutation in vitro, a chromosomal abnormality, or some sort of prenatal environmental factor. Chayito’s family knows of no one else in the family with this condition and her mother cannot recall any type of unusual environmental exposure.

Chayito has been evaluated by specialists in Guadalajara and is being fitted for a prosthesis, with placement scheduled for late January or early February. The Guadalajara company has a program for patients who cannot afford the full price of a prosthesis, charging just one-half of the stipulated price. Niños Incapacitados has paid for one half of this and the family is receiving further assistance from the local DIF office.

We have also paid for several other necessary studies—EEG and CT scan—plus monthly anticonvulsive medications which she needs to control seizures. There is also the chance that Chayito won’t have much vision in her right eye, and her family is already resigned to this fact but will do all they can with regard to therapy and further studies. In fact, the little girl is already undergoing therapy at the DIF Chapala facility.

Stories like this make it even more important for Niños Incapacitados to continue its work here at Lakeside, and we invite you to join us at our monthly meetings the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the garden area of La Nueva Posada.   Each month we present one of the children we are assisting. You can also help by attending our fundraising events during the year, especially on January 16 (Trivia Quiz Night) and our gala dinner-dance on February 18. Look for more information here in El Ojo del Lago.