Growing up in Venezuela
My name is José Gregorio Pirela, and I live in La Guajira, in the north of Colombia, with my wife Victoria and my children. I was born in Venezuela, but I have dual nationality, as my mother was Venezuelan and my father Colombian. I grew up without them; I was brought up by neighbours.
In Venezuela, I grew up in a complex environment. My community was very impacted by delinquency and violence. Like many young people, I grew up amidst the complex dynamics of rival gangs and territorial clashes. One day in early 2016, I was leaving my house when I came across two women from another neighbourhood. They warned me that a group of men was out to get me. I tried to protect myself and got hold of a gun. When I saw the gang coming, armed to the teeth, I tried to hide my pistol from them. I held it against my left leg, barrel down... and it went off by itself.
The pain was terrible. I went to the hospital where they made me wait for a long time. I arrived at 9pm and had to wait until 6am the next day to see a doctor. When they finally operated on me, the damage was irreversible, and they couldn't save my leg.
"Two days later, I was told I was going to be amputated. It wasn't easy, I suffered a lot. It's still difficult sometimes. But I thank God every day that I'm still alive."
Eventually, the situation in Venezuela forced us to emigrate to Colombia. At first, I didn't want to come here, but now I feel at home. I have a life in Colombia; I've built a new family with my loved ones and my church community.
Today, I’m stronger
Since then, thank the Lord, my life has changed. God gave me the faith to carry on. Today, I'm a motorbike taxi driver in La Guajira. I'm independent in most of my daily tasks. For example, if I need to change a part on my motorbike taxi, I can do it myself without having to wait for others to help me. With this job, I can take care of my family, even if it's not always easy. Some days I wake up with severe pain in my leg. I have a prosthesis, and I use it to drive, but some mornings I can't even put it on because of the pain.
I've had my prosthesis for 7 or 8 years. I used to be able to walk for hours with it on, but now just walking in the garden sets off the pain. The more I use it, the more it rubs against my stump, and sometimes I get terrible itching and irritation. I really need to change it, but I haven't got round to it yet. With a new prosthesis, I'd be able to walk better, move around more easily and have more freedom of movement.
“I also had a pair of crutches that hurt my arms a lot. But recently HI gave me some new crutches and they make all the difference. It's like when you replace old shoes with worn soles with a new pair, you immediately feel better, a bit taller. Today, I walk much better.”
I'd never had physiotherapy before. When the HI teams started working with me, I was given a warm welcome and appropriate care. So, I've been having physiotherapy sessions, and I've also learnt exercises that I can do at home. Now, I'm working on my balance because I don't have much. Without my crutches, I just fall over. But I've seen some real changes.
“With these exercises, the muscles in my leg have become stronger. Today, I feel great. Life has taught me that you must always keep moving forward, and the fact that I only have one leg doesn't stop me from being independent.”
