Help Diego fight serious health emergency and come home

Diego Gonzales Tovar, a Peruvian artist with Down syndrome, is currently going through a serious, life-threatening health crisis. In early February, a late-diagnosed abscess on his brain ruptured before doctors could remove it, leading to a generalized infection of his cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus. He had a six-hour emergency brain surgery and has been hospitalized ever since in a clinic in Lima (Peru), his forever hometown. The doctors gave us—his family—a bad prognosis. But Dieguito has been fighting, and continues to do so. The infection has been decreasing little by little; however, it is still lingering.

Diego is a unique soul. His artistic calling first manifested itself in 2004, when the household pencils and paper began to disappear. He began to draw his future on those scraps of paper. Since then, Diego has continued passionately drawing every day, tirelessly for several hours, without pause or haste, smiling. More importantly, Dieguito—like everybody calls him—is a deeply loved son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend. Since the second he was born, he has inspired everyone around him to become a better, kinder person, to slow down, to breathe, to dance, to hug, to love more and think less. His tender smile, open soul, and affectionate hugs are contagious. Diego disseminates 'cariño' wherever he steps.

We urgently need your help with Dieguito's ongoing skyrocketing medical expenses: surgeries, treatment, hospitalization, rehabilitation, medicines, etc. In Peru hospitals are not required to treat you if you cannot paid. As his condition is so serious, the treatment is so complex, and the hospitalization time is so prolonged, even with his health insurance covering a percentage, the medical bills have been accumulating way beyond what we can afford. What is even worse, the coverage maximum will soon be reached. We have no help from Peruvian institutions: in Peru, there are no disability benefits.

His treatment post-surgery has included an external ventricular drainage and an ongoing intense course of IV antibiotics, which, while effective, has yet to defeat the lingering brain infection. All the while, Diego has been confined to his hospital bed, and has been with a feeding tube ever since his surgery. To make things worse, over the last weeks he developed pneumonia, which fortunately is beginning to clear, and hydrocephalus, which will require a second surgery.

Diego has also been battling the after effects of the brain surgery. Despite doctors' frightening warnings about possible significant repercussions, Diego progressively started to wake up, talk a little bit, and interact with us, much to doctors' surprise and to our relief. He also can see and move his hands and legs, while laying in bed. With rehabilitation, he has shown great progress with some of the after effects, which include weakness and loss of coordination along his left side and inability to eat. But Diego will continue to need extensive rehabilitation for at least one year to return to his daily routine filled with art, dancing, going for walks, hanging out with his friends, eating "alfajores" (his favorite dessert), and helping our parents around the house. This is, of course, assuming that Diego can finish defeating this terrible infection.

Diego has won over everyone's hearts—not only among his family, friends, and art community in Peru, but of all the medical staff at the clinic as well. Yes, his energy is that contagious. We are sure that he will also reach your hearts, and we hope that you can help us give Diego the treatment he needs to come back home to us. Thank you so much for your support and generosity.