Foundation Funds Surgery for Venezuelan Migrant Who Couldn’t Find Medical Care

23 June, 2026

Dexire del Valle Arenas, a street vendor selling sweets, broke her right leg in a household accident.

For 14 days, Dexire del Valle Arenas lived with pain, uncertainty, and despair. The 25-year-old Venezuelan woman, a mother of two girls, suffered a tibia and fibula fracture in her right leg on May 29th after leaning against her bed frame. What seemed like a household accident turned into a difficult ordeal for her and her family.

Together with her husband, JosĂ© Humberto Piñeiro, she visited several public hospitals in Santa Cruz de la Sierra seeking help. However, they all received the same response: they couldn’t treat her because she wasn’t registered with the Universal Health System (SUS). “Those were very difficult days. We didn’t know what to do anymore,” recalls JosĂ© Humberto, also Venezuelan and the same age as his wife.

The couple, who earn a living selling sweets on the streets, at roundabouts, and on public buses, lacked the resources to access private medical care. With no other options, they turned to the Cardenal Julio Terrazas Shelter, where they had previously received food assistance.

Thanks to that help, they were able to reach the Niño Jesús I Clinic. There, after performing X-rays, doctors determined that Dexire needed surgery to implant a plate with screws to properly fuse her fractured bones. The news was another blow to the family. The cost of the procedure was completely beyond their financial means.

It was then that Cáritas suggested they contact the National Safe Life Foundation. The organization covered all medical expenses, including the purchase of surgical materials, the operation itself, and the subsequent medications necessary for her recovery. The surgery was successful, and today the family can once again look to the future with hope.

“I was going crazy. We didn’t know what to do anymore. Honestly, we are very grateful to Mr. Julio César Caballero; he is a wonderful person. With the Foundation, he gave us back our peace of mind and the hope that everything will get better,” said José Humberto.

The couple’s story is marked by hard work and migration. They both arrived from Venezuela almost five years ago. Dexire was born in Cumaná and José Humberto in Maracaibo. She arrived in Bolivia first, and in Santa Cruz, their second daughter, Jazmely, was born. Jazmely is now three years old. Their eldest daughter, Patricia, is seven.

Currently, the family lives in a rented room in the El Bateón area. During the weeks that Dexire was bedridden, their difficulties multiplied. “She’s the one who cooks and organizes the house. Since she couldn’t do anything, I had to help her with everything, even taking her to the bathroom. I also had to tell my eldest daughter’s teacher that she wouldn’t be able to attend school because of the situation we were going through,” he recounts.

Although the surgery was successful, recovery still requires time and care. José Humberto can only go to work for about two hours a day so as not to leave his wife alone. “It’s very hard, but here we are. The trip to the clinic is long; luckily, a friend helps us by giving us rides in his taxi,” he says.

Despite the difficulties, the family prefers to focus on gratitude. “God is great. Through Him, those people who helped us, the shelter and the National Safe Life Foundation, have come into our lives,” concludes José Humberto, while accompanying his wife in the recovery process that has given them peace of mind and the hope to move forward.

Enviar comentarios