Newsroom

Justin Berger, Eddy Mejia Hernandez, and Kathy Faller


On the morning of May 7th, Eddy Mejia Hernandez, a Guatemalan of twenty-two years of age, ignored the crutches sitting beside his bed and walked slowly down the stairs to join his host family for breakfast. That day symbolized a remarkable triumph for Eddy. The recipient of a prosthetic foot the previous day, he was able to walk comfortably for the first time in four years. Eddy had lost half of his right foot to amputation in 1999 after suffering a severe infection that left doctors in Guatemala with no other option. His condition was not helped by his 2,000-mile trek from Guatemala to the United States without crutches.

That was not Eddy's first encounter with adversity. Eddy was born in an impoverished rural community in Guatemala with a tumor in his spinal column. In adolescence, the tumor began to cause Eddy pain and discomfort, and periodically left parts of his lower body feeling numb. Doctors in Guatemala informed Eddy of the difficulties of performing surgery on the tumor. Irrespective of the risks, his family was unable to pay for the medical attention he desperately needed. Eddy's situation worsened when, as an eight year old, his right foot became infected after suffering a minor laceration. The infection persisted, and in 1999 gangrene forced doctors to amputate.

With few employment opportunities in his hometown of Nuevo Palmarcito, Eddy and his family sold firewood and performed other odd jobs as a means of subsistence. As the oldest of five children, Eddy felt responsible to provide for the family. As his condition worsened, Eddy decided to leave Guatemala in the summer of 2002 to work in the United States in order to pay for medical treatment and send money home.

Eddy's journey through Guatemala and Mexico was lengthy and arduous. He travelled through southern Mexico on foot and on freight trains infamous for the brutality of bandits who routinely attack migrants. On one such train, two men wielding a knife and a machete robbed Eddy. After that, Eddy worked briefly at a carwash in Puebla, Mexico to earn enough money for a bus ticket to Tijuana. In Tijuana, Eddy searched futilely for work. Exhausted and overcome with hunger, Eddy turned himself in to the United States Border Patrol on November 25, 2002 at Playas Tijuana. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) immediately detained Eddy at a maximum-security detention facility in Otay Mesa to await immigration proceedings against him.

Three weeks later, Casa Cornelia Law Center's Justin Berger, an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer, interviewed Eddy during a routine screening of detainees for potential asylum claims. Eddy informed Mr. Berger of his medical condition and desire to obtain medical treatment in the United States. Following the interview, Mr. Berger and staff attorney Maria De Alejandro sought to locate medical treatment for Eddy from the San Diego community. Initially met with frustration, Mr. Berger's diligence eventually paid off when in March, he contacted Pat Robinson, R.N. of the Mercy Health Care Outreach Surgical Team. She agreed to bring Eddy's case to the attention of the Board. Meanwhile, staff attorney Ricardo Gibert successfully convinced the Immigration Court to delay any decision regarding Eddy's case given the strong possibility of securing medical assistance.

After four difficult months of detention in a small cell, Eddy received the most unexpected of miracles. The Department of Homeland Security (formerly INS) contacted Mr. Gibert and stated their intention of releasing Eddy on his own recognizance to facilitate the process of locating medical treatment. Excitement over the sudden turn of events turned to panic as Mr. Berger scrambled to find temporary housing for Eddy. Mr. Berger's efforts reaped rewards as Catholic Charities agreed to put Eddy up at the Pickwick Hotel in San Diego for three weeks as part of their voucher program. On the morning of March 28, Eddy was released from the maximum-security center and arrived at Casa Cornelia Law Center unclear as to why he had been freed, but elated to no longer be detained.

Shortly thereafter, the Mercy Outreach Surgical Team graciously offered to provide Eddy with a prosthesis, but his spinal tumor was beyond the scope of their services. With the support of Mercy Board Member Bertha Hilco, San Diego prosthetist Herb Barrack fitted Eddy for a prosthesis, making unnecessary the cumbersome crutches that severely limited his mobility.

Finding housing for Eddy remained a challenge. Mr. Berger and Daniel Markman, a full-time volunteer at Casa Cornelia, spent much of their work week on the phone searching for permanent housing and medical treatment for Eddy. Eventually, in late April, Kathy Faller of Solana Beach offered to house Eddy. Kathy and her family wasted no time accepting Eddy into their home. Although communication is often a daily obstacle, the emotional support they have provided for Eddy has been incredible. These days, Eddy is quick to flash a wide smile and his humor often leaves others in the room rolling in laughter, a far cry from his somber mood when detained. In addition, the Fallers have assisted Eddy in his desire to learn English, enrolling him in a number of classes at a local church and high school.

The formidable journey of Eddy continues. He recently received an MRI exam through St. Leo's Medical Program in Solana Beach. Utilizing the images from the exam, doctors were able to diagnose Eddy with spina bifida. Normally treated at birth in developed nations, spina bifida is a birth defect in the spinal column that occurs when the vertebrae fail to form properly, causing damage to the central nervous system. In Eddy's case, the spinal cord is tethered against the vertebrae, causing him pain and discomfort. On June 3, neurosurgeon Michael Levy, M.D., diagnosed Eddy's condition as operable. Dr. Levy has generously offered to perform the procedure.

Eddy remains hopeful that his spinal condition will be remedied, and together with his prosthesis, allow him to live a normal life. Casa Cornelia staff attorneys are optimistic that the government will grant Eddy permission to remain in the Unites States until he has completed his medical treatment. Unfortunately, Eddy is not eligible for an immigrant visa and will eventually have to return to Guatemala.

Additional support for Eddy has been kindly provided by the following community members:

Joanne Danssaert, Physical Therapist
Lorraine De La Mora, Social Worker, Catholic Charities
Terry Hawthorne, St. Peter's Church
Logan Heights Family Health Center
Mercy Outreach Surgical Team
Elizabeth Michel
Peter Newton, M.D., Children's Hospital
Drew Peterson, M.D., Volunteer at St. Leo's Medical Center Scripps Health
G. Richard Wheelock, M.D., Co-founder of St. Leo's Medical Center