Help Juan Walk

Juan Diaz is a 27 year old artist from Nicaragua who was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 5. Juan lives in poverty on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Lack of medical care, and no access to medication, for 22 years has caused crippling bone deformities. He suffers from unbearable pain daily and is now unable to walk more than a short distance on "good days". He once used his artistic talents to earn money but is now unable to stand or sit long enough to paint or draw. He has "acetabular protrusion" of the hips, which means they are partially dislocated. The surgery to replace both hip joints is complicated, lengthy, and costly. He requires joint replacements for both knees and both hips. If his hips are not replaced they will eventually become immobile and Juan will be bed ridden. He is not able to obtain hip surgery in Nicaragua and knee surgery is risky. Prosthetic joints have a limited lifetime and Juan will need the same surgeries repeated several times in his lifetime. I am attempting to raise $25,000 as a start to help pay for his medical bills, but I recognize his medical expenses will far exceed this! Please join me in giving whatever your heart desires to bring him to the US for surgery. Please help me restore Juan's dreams for his life!

Sincerely,
Shelley Craft, a friend of Juan's

p.s. Should you prefer to donate directly to avoid the GoFundMe processing charge, I have a charity bank account setup.  Please send me a message for more information.