In 2005, Mirna Maria Guadalupe Ramos, who currently resides in Huehuetenango, Guatemala suffered a devastating stroke during what would have been a routine medical procedure. As a result, her cerebral cortex was damaged making her completely paraplegic and lacking any motor skills. Since that time, she has been completely paralyzed and is only able to move her eyes. A group of friends had been looking for any means and ways in which they might be able to improve her life condition, even if it was just marginally. As a result, they discovered a non-profit organization that has developed a tool called “Eagle Eyes” (http://www.eagleeyes.org/) that allows people with serious handicaps and physical limitations to move a computer mouse with the simple movement of their eyes or other facial expressions.
The organization is called “The Opportunity Foundation of America”
(http://www.ofoa.net/Default.aspx) and they are associated with Boston College, who jointly developed the system.
During the month of June, a collection was conducted in ADTRAN , in Huntsville, Alabama, with overwhelming response allowing them to purchase/donate the cost of the system ($1,200) and more. So far a total of $1,573 has been collected, plus a laptop and a flat screen monitor.
This summer, they will be travelling to Guatemala and they will be setting the system up and train her family on how to use it. They are convinced that this will represent a huge improvement in the quality of her life since it would allow her to express her needs and perhaps most importantly, her emotions. It would likewise help to relieve her family of a great burden on trying to interpret what she is trying to say. The doctors tell us that she is fully conscious and can hear and smell and see, however she has been inside a physical prison ever since that faithful day back in 2005 and is not able to communicate in any way with her family. Now, she will have a chance to say a simple "hello" back, and it will be incredible for both her and all of us that know and love her.
Due to Guatemala's macroeconomic situation and her family financial situation, a system like this would be simply out of reach for a middle class family for Guatemalan standards and therefore would not be affordable without the help of organizations such as OFOA, Boston College and the people of ADTRAN.
We will be updating this blog as often as possible to keep you posted on her progress and we will also be updating the way the funds are being utilized.
May God bless you all!
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