Luz Estephanie Macchiavello del Castillo: It's a Small World after all.

Welcome

Welcome and many thanks for visiting the weblog of Luz Estephanie Machiavello del Castillo. Luz will be returning to Tampa in January 2018. Her appointment at Shriners for 2018 will be January 17. There is a good possibility that Luz' sister, Giuliana, may also accompany her. Luz has grown since we last saw her in March 2017. Hilmer has said that she is excelling in school. Please take note of the article below on the right to see how you can help make her visit more comfortable. You will be able to see updates on Luz and her progress as she proceeds along the path that will again enable her to grow in the confidence and stature of a beautiful little girl. Stay tuned.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

It's a Small World after all.

Three years ago in 2006, Maria and Herbert Espinoza were visiting Lima, Peru. While watching local TV there was a story about a little girl from Juanjui, a small village in the Amazon region of Peru, who was run over by a motorcycle taxi and severely injured. The child was brought to Los Ninos Hospital in Lima but because of the long journey, 14 hours, her right arm could not be saved and required amputation. That little girl was Luz.

Maria and Herbert remembered that TV story and, although they had never met Luz, thought about her often through the years. Fast forward to December 24, Christmas Eve 2008. Luz arrives at Tampa International Airport to start her current treatment and rehab at Shriners Hospital. The first week in February, Tampa's Bay News 9, tapes a short story about Luz and broadcasts it on their spanish language station. Guess who was watching? Yes, Maria and Herbert again watched a TV story about a little girl from the jungles of Peru. But this time things would be different. The next day Maria and Herbert drove to Shriners expecting to visit Luz. They were told her appointment was the following day. So they went home and came back again the next day. They were waiting in the lobby when we walked in the door. They walked up to us and said, "This must be Luz". Although they had never met, it seemed like a family reunion when we heard the story. Now Maria and Herbert are like an extended family.