At 14 years old, Jose Glavez’s pelvis was crushed when he fell under a bus, the wheel rolling over his abdomen. The accident left him with debilitating injuries including frequent urinary tract infections among other limitations that made it difficult for him to keep up the regular activities of a young adolescent. He lost friendships. He stopped playing soccer. It significantly affected his quality of life.
Children Urology’s, Dr. George Seremetis, met Jose during a medical mission trip to Guatemala through Dell Children’s Surgical Global Outreach. The non-profit program has sent surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and other pediatric medical support to The Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala City to provide specialized care.
Dr. Seremetis, like many others that met Jose, was enamored with the young man’s positive energy. He wanted to help Jose, however, his condition needed to be corrected with a complex reconstructive surgery that required more sophisticated resources than available at the Guatemala City surgery center.
With the help of Children’s Urology and other volunteers through Dell Children’s Surgical Global Outreach, Jose was brought to Austin, Texas to receive the life changing, complex surgery he needed.
The surgery, conducted at Dell Children’s Medical Center, took 7.5 hours. Jose recovered well. He returned to Guatemala City six weeks later, excited and grateful for the opportunities ahead.
Click here to see Jose’s story featured on Univision.
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