Desperate For Money, Desperate for Relief

Elmer and his sister, live with their grandmother, Florinda in Guatemala. 

“I don’t think of them as my grandchildren but as my CHIILDREN,” she told us.  “I have been raising them since they were born and love them dearly.”   

The children’s mother abandoned them.  Their father works far away, and sends a little money each month to help with food.  Florinda told us there is never enough.  

“When we don’t have enough money, I sell some of my chickens or eggs, so we have something to eat.” 

Then Elmer developed a hernia.  The doctor gave him pills for pain, but they didn’t help.  As he got older, the hernia got larger, causing him to suffer even more.  

“Sometimes the pain is so bad I cannot do anything but lie down,” Elmer said.  “It feels like someone is splitting me in two with an ax.  I cannot stand it anymore!”  

Florinda finally saved enough to take him to a hospital.  There a doctor examined him and said that surgery was their only option to repair the hernia.   

“They told me it would cost around $300 U.S. dollar, but we couldn’t gather that money.” 

With no way to pay for an operation, Elmer continued to suffer.  

“I thought I was going to die the pain was so bad,” he told us.  “I thought I would not see my sister and grandma again.”  

“I really felt like he was going to die from this,” Florinda said.  “The only thing I could do was ask God to help us.”  

That’s when Operation Blessing staff learned about the case and took Elmer to a specialist.  They discovered that the severe pain had been caused by a DOUBLE hernia.  Then, thanks to YOU, we paid for Elmer to receive the surgery he needed.     

“Now I don't have any pain. Also, I started to play soccer and I can even jump!” he told us excitedly.  “Thank you to the people who helped me get my operation!”  

Florinda added, “Thanks to the people who helped with Elmer’s surgery!”