Leone Lobendahn and Blanca Tajosh
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But we as a group also feel as if all of the amputees we saw this past week have changed us forever. We heard many stories from our 14 amputees. Some were affected from birth, others from cancer, others from illnesses, and yet many others had been amputated due to an accident.
One of the stories that touched us deeply was the story of 25 year old Blanca, who is a single mom of seven year old Jonathan. She was born with a lower back deformity which was operated on when she was three months old. This operation left her with the ability to walk, but only eight years later, she found out that one of her feet had developed an ulcer.
One month before Blanca turned 15, she was told that she would lose her foot due to an infection in her bone that developed years ago from the ulcer. John Calveri, a Digital Media student at UVU, who is documenting the trip for his senior project has captured Blanca and her story on video during this trip.
Our small team has been blessed with a chance to get to know so many wonderful people, and children who will always remain in our hearts and whom we hope to continue a friendship for years to come. La gente chapina (the chapina people) are great people for their strength, and their wonderful spirit.
