Many of you were touched by the details of Jorge’s accident that we posted on Facebook. There is much more to the story that we would like to share. It is really long, so I’ve broken it into two parts. This is Part 1 and Part 2 will be posted tomorrow.

I really believe in the power of story telling. I hope you are touched by Jorge’s story and how so many of you helped this little boy find healing. — Doug

We met Jorge’s family in April. His dad, Mario, takes care of the grounds in our condominium. We struck up a friendship and we’ve spent a lot of time together the past few months. Jorge’s mom, Ana, really looks up to Holly and loves to spend time with her. Holly taught Ana how to make cupcakes and zucchini bread and Ana taught Holly how to make Guatemalan enchiladas. Jorge has an older brother, Walter, and he likes to play soccer and Legos with Cooper.

Mario tells me frequently that Jorge asks him when he can come see Pancho, their nickname for me. One very special memory that I have of Jorge is his 2nd visit to our house, he ran up to me as his parents were leaving, and told me that my kids were his best friends. That moment melted my heart because my kids were in a season where they were struggling to make friends.

Jorge is a typical 5 year old Guatemalan boy. He is short, skinny, and frequently ill. He is shorter than Sarahn, our 4 year old daughter, and with far less meat on his bones.

The accident happened on a Sunday afternoon in Santa Marie de Jesus, a pueblo on the base of Volcano Agua. Jorge was in the living room of their house and he was climbing the furniture, as we’ve seen him do before.

The “TV stand” was tall, narrow and very shallow. It held a few photos and a large tube TV. As he neared the top of the furniture, his weight pulled the furniture over. Jorge fell and landed on the concrete floor followed by the crashing TV and stand. The result was a badly fractured femur right below the hip. A very serious injury.

Two days went by before I heard about the accident. It was a Tuesday afternoon and Mario rang our doorbell, as he does quite often. I asked him how he was and he responded “very bad Pancho.” He explained about Jorge’s accident and his pain. I could tell that Mario was extremely worried about his son.

I asked what the doctor said and he explained that they didn’t take him to a doctor because a “Señora” from their town was taking care of Jorge. A “Señora”? I didn’t understand so he explained that she is someone from their village that is a natural healer.

I was in disbelief that he had not seen a doctor nor had x-rays. Maybe, I thought, the injuries weren’t as bad as they sounded. Mario continued and said that the “Señora” found that Jorge had a broken leg and broken pelvis. My gut dropped, I could not believe what he was sharing with me. The injuries were actually worse than I thought.

“Is he in pain?”, I asked. “Yes, a lot” he responded. Not only was he not being treated by a doctor, but he was also without anything to treat the pain.

Mario went on to explain that the bones were already healing because the “Señora” had set them back in place. He told me this as he demonstrated putting two hands on his leg and pushing and thrusting from each direction.

I was speechless. I could not believe what I was seeing. What I wanted to do was shake him and say “Take him to the doctor RIGHT NOW.” But, I didn’t. Instead, I listened as he explained that both he and his brother had broken arms when they were younger. The same “Señora” that was helping Jorge actually “healed” their broken bones many years ago. He proudly showed me how he could move his arm up and down and side to side.

What Mario failed to understand was that Jorge’s injuries were much more significant than a broken arm. Mario continued and also shared their fears of what a doctor might do to Jorge. They feared the doctor would want to perform surgery and they didn’t want to put Jorge through that. Plus, he reminded me they had the “Señora” to help Jorge.

I had this internal struggle with what I thought was the right thing to do. He wasn’t intentionally neglecting his son because he was doing exactly what people from his pueblo have always done. It was how his parents took care of him and his brother and it worked.

As we finished our conversation, Mario could sense that I was struggling with all of this. In a moment that I will never forget, he put his hand on my shoulder and assured me that Jorge was going to get better. He just needed some more time he told me.

Two days later, on a Thursday afternoon, Mario returned. We asked about Jorge and he explained that he was still in a lot of pain. The “Señora” had returned and started Jorge’s therapy.

Wait, what? Therapy? This is FOUR days after he supposedly broke his leg and pelvis. FOUR days.

Mario demonstrated how the “Señora” put one hand on Jorge’s thigh and the other hand on his lower leg and then slowly bend and move his leg upwards. I winced as he showed me the motion. He explained that this movement was necessary in order to produce healing.

I told him it probably produced a lot of pain also. He confirmed this and then explained that Jorge cried so hard that he eventually threw up.

“Does he have pain medicine yet?” I asked. “No, the ‘Señora’ doesn’t have any for him”, Mario responded. Fortunately, Holly remembered we had a full bottle of Tylenol Pain Reliever, so we gave it to him. I explained that a doctor can provide a stronger medicine, but this might provide some minor relief.

I explained to Mario that a fractured leg needs stabilized for several weeks. I encouraged him to not proceed so quickly and that it would be best if he lets Jorge rest.

At this point, Holly and I became very concerned for Jorge, but we weren’t quite sure what to do. What Holly wanted me to do was to simply convince Mario to take Jorge to the doctor. Mario and Ana trust us and we probably could have had that conversation and been successful. However, I had this struggle about how involved we should get.

In the back of my mind I remembered Mario’s fear that something bad would happen to Jorge at the hospital or in surgery. It was a valid concern given the medical care in public hospitals. But – what if he was right. What if I convinced them to treat Jorge and then something bad happened. It would be hard to forgive myself. But, on the other hand, if we sit and do nothing surely Jorge’s health would continue to go downhill.

We really wrestled with all of these thoughts and there seemed no easy solution.

We were very busy the following week. I didn’t see Mario until Wednesday – 10 days since the accident.

When I saw Mario, he was the most upbeat and positive that I had seen him since the accident. Mario shared with us that Jorge was doing better. They had stopped his treatment from the previous week. He still had a lot of pain, but it wasn’t as severe.

I felt a relieved knowing that the pain was a little better, but that feeling quickly faded. Mario then asked if I could help him find a children’s walker to rent.

After the troubles with the previous “treatment”, how could they consider moving him again?

I wasn’t disrespectful, but I told Mario as firmly as I could that we would ABSOLUTELY NOT help him find a walker. I told him it should be a long, long while before he tries to walk.

He looked surprised and a bit confused. He told me that the previous day that the “Señora” had returned and tried to have him walk.

Before he finished his sentence, I stopped him and explained how bad of an idea this was. I told him that this will cause more damage to his leg and increase the pain.

Mario nodded his head in agreement. He explained that they had to stop after just a couple steps because Jorge was crying so hard. Thankfully, they returned him to bed, but the damage was done. Jorge cried out most of the night from the pain.

At this point, I took a deep breath and tried to clear my head. This couldn’t go on. Jorge had been through too much and he needed to see a doctor.

I reminded Mario again that these “treatments” were not beneficial. In fact, they were dangerous. I encouraged him to talk with Ana about taking Jorge to a doctor. Without hesitation, Mario agreed. He would talk with Ana that afternoon and they would figure out what to do.

The next few days passed quickly for us as we were hosting friends from the States. I didn’t see Mario again until Saturday – 13 days since the accident. He told me that his father agreed that it was time to see a doctor. I was a little surprised that his dad agreed, but was encouraged because I knew Mario and Ana would follow his advice.

Stay tuned for Part 2