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INTERVIEW TO MRS. MARITZA GARCIA
BENEFITTED WITH WHEEL CHAIRS AND EARPHONES FOR HER CHILDREN
How did you get to know the Association Ayudar es Vivir?
I knew about it because of Dr. Suarez, that contacted with Dr. Egoavil, legal advisor of the Association, and that’s how I got to know them. And, immediately Dr. Egoavil called me to see about the wheel chair. Everything was like that: Swift!
The Association supported her donating a wheel chair, who for? For yourself?
No, for my youngest child, who was three years old then… Gonzalito, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
How long have you been receiving this support from the Association Ayudar es Vivir?
Since… let me give you the exact date… I received it on 14 February 2006.
And this is the only kind of help that the Association has given you?
No. Er… I have three kids, two of whom, Gonzalo, who suffers from cerebral palsy, and my eldest son, who suffers from hypoacusia and the Association helped me with a pair of earphones for my son.
What is hypoacusia?
It is a hearing loss, not total, but partial.
How old are your sons now?
Gonzalo is 5 and Alonso is 13.
What would you say to people in general who go to the Association?
I have the best of opinions about the Association, right? For me, it was a miracle that I had waited, for I wouldn’t have been able to get the earphones due to its high cost, and, well, the wheel chair… Imagine! , you can see it here… a wheel chair for me is fantastic, and my son is very happy with it because he can go to the park now. I couldn’t move him around before, because I had to carry him around with the harness. But now we can go out. He goes to the park in the afternoons. By himself! Now you are going to see him. When I sit him in the chair immediately he is willing to go out. You say to him “Let’s go out!” and he is very happy because he wants to go out.
What features does this chair have? Is it a special chair?
It is a special chair … it is not a regular wheel chair, but it is a chair for relaxation, it allows the kid to be in different positions, doesn’t it? Laid, not only seated but leaned… Or even laid! Because I can lay him as well. It is specially designed for kids suffering from cerebral palsy. Gonzalo is a kid that requires complete therapy, isn’t he?, and I couldn’t move him around because I had to carry him around everywhere I went, and the baby’s weight, he is not a very big baby, he’s rather small, but he is strong anyway, and I didn’t work either; … I just did therapy to him and everything; and that … and the cost of the therapy was also expensive. At the beginning I started to go to ARIE, at that time every therapy cost 42 soles, and thanks to the social assistant I paid only 25 soles; and my son used to have nine therapies a week. Then, the cost was totally outrageous… then, little by little, together with Dr. Suarez, I met her at ACSI, didn’t I?, we got to… She was the one who contacted me with the Association Ayudar es vivir. My gratitude with them (Association Ayudar es Vivir) is going to be eternal.
Have your expectations about what you needed been covered by the Association?
Yes. The biggest, let us say, was covered, because Alonso was not able to study if … he didn’t have the earphones. His hearing in one of the ears is very low, isn’t it? Now, I do not know if it is a miracle from God, but I think he is hearing better, and the earphones are basic for him to be able to continue studying; and he is going to a regular school, not considering he is a kid with different skills.
What did it mean to you the granting of a wheel chair?
The Eighth Wonder of the World! (She sobs). For me it was wonderful because… It’s a great help! I wouldn’t have been able to buy it, not even now, because it is an expensive wheel chair. And for me it is wonderful. Besides, Gonzalo was happy; the day he received it he was very happy. It was like he had received a new toy. He was very happy.
Tell me, what is the date in the letter from the Association informing about the granting of the wheel chair?
