Help Ivan Lucero Recover
Donation protected
WARNING: Some of the photos below are graphic and may be difficult to look at. We have included them to show the seriousness of the situation and how Ivan has begun to recover from it.
If you spend time in Los Barriles, you’ve probably seen Ivan Lucero--the Watermelon Man. He often sells watermelons (and papayas) on the main road into town. It is impossible to miss his big sign--Sandias--and his even bigger grin. He is loved by many for his infectious good cheer and kind heart.
On September 4th, Ivan was severely electrocuted. He was sealing a friend’s roof when his metal pole touched the high tension electrical line that serves the pueblo. A 2-3-amp current ripped through his body and caught his shoes on fire, then his pants, then his shirt.
He thought he was going to die. He remembers an overwhelming pain splitting through his head, then spreading throughout his body, causing it to stiffen. “It felt like my body was turning to glass,” he says. The electrical engineer he spoke with after the accident told him the line he touched carried 13,000 volts. The engineer could not understand why Ivan was still alive.
Ivan suffered second and third degree burns to 40% of his body, including his internal organs, with the worst burns on his chest, legs, and feet. His doctors thought they would have to amputate his legs but ultimately took only five toes.
Now, after six surgeries and two months in the hospital, Ivan feels lucky to be alive. He has moved in with a cousin in La Paz, but as soon as Ivan is able to stand and move on his own (in about 2 months), he will return to Los Barriles.
He has a tough road ahead. His burns are only 50% healed, and he will not be able to return to work for another six months. He will need wound care and physical therapy, including extensive work on his internally damaged feet (in order to prevent a limp).
Ivan has no savings and very few resources. He lives alone in a small one-room house outside of town. He is not sure how he will be able to feed and take care of himself and pay for his medical needs over the next six months. This is why he needs our help.
Ivan has received donations from Facebook to cover the cost of a wheelchair, machines to clear the fluids from his legs, and materials for dressing his wounds. He estimates that he needs about $5000 dollars more to cover the cost of necessities (food, gas, medications, etc.), plus a home health aid to provide wound care twice daily while he recovers.
A native of Los Planes (near La Ventana), Ivan had to leave school at age 13 to help support his family. After a tour in the military, he moved to Los Barriles and has worked construction and sales (watermelons!) ever since. A deeply spiritual person, Ivan has also served the community as a curandero, or traditional healer, helping others heal from traumas. Now he needs our help so he can heal himself.
Please help the Watermelon Man get back on his feet!
If you spend time in Los Barriles, you’ve probably seen Ivan Lucero--the Watermelon Man. He often sells watermelons (and papayas) on the main road into town. It is impossible to miss his big sign--Sandias--and his even bigger grin. He is loved by many for his infectious good cheer and kind heart.
On September 4th, Ivan was severely electrocuted. He was sealing a friend’s roof when his metal pole touched the high tension electrical line that serves the pueblo. A 2-3-amp current ripped through his body and caught his shoes on fire, then his pants, then his shirt.
He thought he was going to die. He remembers an overwhelming pain splitting through his head, then spreading throughout his body, causing it to stiffen. “It felt like my body was turning to glass,” he says. The electrical engineer he spoke with after the accident told him the line he touched carried 13,000 volts. The engineer could not understand why Ivan was still alive.
Ivan suffered second and third degree burns to 40% of his body, including his internal organs, with the worst burns on his chest, legs, and feet. His doctors thought they would have to amputate his legs but ultimately took only five toes.
Now, after six surgeries and two months in the hospital, Ivan feels lucky to be alive. He has moved in with a cousin in La Paz, but as soon as Ivan is able to stand and move on his own (in about 2 months), he will return to Los Barriles.
He has a tough road ahead. His burns are only 50% healed, and he will not be able to return to work for another six months. He will need wound care and physical therapy, including extensive work on his internally damaged feet (in order to prevent a limp).
Ivan has no savings and very few resources. He lives alone in a small one-room house outside of town. He is not sure how he will be able to feed and take care of himself and pay for his medical needs over the next six months. This is why he needs our help.
Ivan has received donations from Facebook to cover the cost of a wheelchair, machines to clear the fluids from his legs, and materials for dressing his wounds. He estimates that he needs about $5000 dollars more to cover the cost of necessities (food, gas, medications, etc.), plus a home health aid to provide wound care twice daily while he recovers.
A native of Los Planes (near La Ventana), Ivan had to leave school at age 13 to help support his family. After a tour in the military, he moved to Los Barriles and has worked construction and sales (watermelons!) ever since. A deeply spiritual person, Ivan has also served the community as a curandero, or traditional healer, helping others heal from traumas. Now he needs our help so he can heal himself.
Please help the Watermelon Man get back on his feet!
Organizer
Greta Gilbert
Organizer
