SAVING CYNTHIA’S SIGHT (last girl on the right)

*SAVING CYNTHIA’S SIGHT* (last girl on the right)

Hello, we are Peter and Sandra Heaney living in Rutland, MA. We are asking for your support to save Cynthia Lohano from going blind. She has a benign tumor on her pituitary gland of 6.2cm (and growing), which is causing pain and putting pressure on the optic nerve causing loss of sight. The underlying condition was unknown and until a recent MRI revealed the shocking tumor. The medical name for this condition is pituitary macroadenoma.

Cynthia is 22 years old and lives with her parents and two sisters in a small Katchwa Indian town called Tarqui located in the Andes highlands in central Equator near the city of Cuenca. Cynthia’s father, Jamie (pronounced Hi-may) lived with and worked for us for a couple of years before going back to his home in Ecuador. We continue to be very good friends sharing our lives via Facebook, Messenger and phone. I let him know we would set up a Go Fund Me page to try and help him and asked him to write a letter about the situation with his daughter Cynthia which follows.

Letter from the father

Our daughter, Cinthya Gabriela Lojano Tenesaca, was born on August 29, 2000. At the age of 5, she began her primary studies at the Monsignor Leónidas Proaño school, that is located in our community, 500 meters from her home. Then at the age of 12 began her secondary studies at Herlinda Toral Technical College in the city of Cuenca. She graduated at the age of 18 with a technical baccalaureate in accounting service. She then entered the Catholic University of Cuenca where she was pursuing a degree in Economics... she was in the fourth year... unfortunately she had to withdraw due to the health problems that have presented themselves.

I am Jaime Lojano, her father, I am 45 years old and work as a bricklayer and stone mason in the city of Cuenca, which is 1 hour by public bus from our house. My salary is $120 U.S. a week, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.

My wife, María Tenesaca, her mother, is 45 years old, a housewife who also raises guinea pigs, which she sells from time to time and helps to finance the household expenses.

Unfortunately, the total family income is very little and as you can see is not enough to pay the upfront required $20,000 that the surgery will cost, much less for a second surgery that the doctors say may be necessary as the tumor still keeps growing.

We can’t afford insurance, and the government provides no insurance. That is why we turn to supportive people, like you, to please help us, since health and sight depends on the needed surgery for our daughter.

Muchos Gracias, Jaime and María, her parents