Five-month-old Juan José was born at home with a fluid filled sac on the back of his skull. It’s a congenital condition called an encephalocele that allows cerebral spinal fluid to leak from the brain into the lump. “When I saw him, I was scared because my other children were not born like this,” his mom Argelía told us. “I thought he was going to die.”
A doctor confirmed Argelia’s fears. He said the baby needed emergency surgery in Guatemala City, far from where they lived. The family could not even afford transportation, let alone pay for the operation. “I prayed and asked God to help me find a solution,” said Argelía.
As the months passed, the mass grew larger and caring for the baby became more difficult. “He could not be moved suddenly. There was a special way to change him. On