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Family can’t leave US because of sick child
A family visiting Orlando from Peru last year remains in the United States while their newborn child is receiving treatment for a rare condition.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A family from Peru is stuck in Orlando, as their child faces an uphill battle in the hospital.
The Alfaro family lives in Peru and was visiting family in Orlando last Spring. Karen Alfaro was four-months pregnant at the time. While she was here, she learned her baby has a rare condition called Trisomy 18. Only 50 percent of babies with Trisomy 18 are born alive. Doctors told Alfaro not to travel back home to Peru because of her high-risk pregnancy.
"They kept saying she may die in my stomach," Alfaro said.
It was a miracle when their baby Luz was born in August, but it wasn't without heartache.
"They told us that she might not make it. Make it one hour, two hours, one day," Alfaro said.
The little fighter is now six months old. She's had multiple surgeries, has two holes in her heart and needs a feeding tube and help to breathe.
"She’s an angel," Alfaro said. "She’s a warrior."
Alfaro, her husband, and 4-year-old son haven't been able to go back home to Peru because Luz isn't well enough to travel. They've been living in the Ronald McDonald House while Luz is in the hospital across the street. The family has been thankful they have somewhere to stay.
"A miracle," Alfaro said. "I never met people so nice, so good."
The Ronald McDonald House provides free room and board. They also have some meals provided for families. Often, volunteers in the community will cook and serve them. The Ronald McDonald House also gave the family tickets to Walt Disney World and Sea World.
"At least one day, it will make us feel better," Alfaro said. "Kind of forget about all the things that we’re going through."
Most babies with Luz's condition will die before their first birthday, but with unconditional love, Alfaro will keep praying for her warrior to beat the odds.
"They look at me like, you know she has Trisomy 18. Wake up, she might not last," Alfaro said. "I go it doesn’t matter, I just want to give her a chance every single minute of every single day I want to be with her."
The family owns a catering business in Peru that has been closed while they're in the states caring for Luz. If you would like to help the family, there's a GoFundMe page here.