“When I had three months of age I had polio,” Omar Cruz said, and ever since he’s lived his life in a wheelchair. Cruz works for Hope Haven Guatemala, a Non-Governmental Organization that helps disabled people receive a mobility devices.
Cruz went to the United States for eight years to receive iron lung treatment for polio, but in the end, he knew he wanted to return home. “I missed my family and everything,” Cruz said. “My parents, two sisters, and mother at the time were still alive, so I decided at that time to come back here.”
Cruz says he’s very comfortable with his current job because he has the opportunity to work with people who are in his same situation.
“Not only did I choose to work here, but I get to help others like me to get a wheelchair,” Cruz said.
“Sometimes at the distributions, the parents, like the mothers, say God Bless you, thank you very much for helping my kid,” Cruz said, “and sometimes it’s almost made me cry.”
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