Juan Carlos | Brigada y Labio Paladar Hendido

Juan Carlos’s father, José Daniel, shares the story of his brave little boy:

“I thought about leaving the country illegally because of the situation I was going through at the time. I couldn’t afford Juan Carlos’s surgery.”

These are the words of José Daniel, father of six-year-old Juan Carlos, who at the time did not have the financial resources to provide his son with surgery for his Cleft Lip and Palate. Juan Carlos is a little boy with an incredible smile and a great desire to enjoy life.

But the hardships did not stop there. The mother of his three children passed away three years ago, leaving him alone and living off almost any job he could find.

But this did not stop him. He continued fighting until he found his way to Fundación Ruth Paz, where he was able to achieve what he had wished for so deeply: giving his son hope for a better life.

Stories like José Daniel’s and his little warrior Juan Carlos’s inspire us to continue, every day, the work that Doña Ruth began—with the same love with which this dream was first born.

The Legacy of Health and Hope is something we put into practice every day, and we see it reflected in the smiles of the patients and families we care for each day.