Victor’s Story

Last year, Victor’s mother, Ana, noticed that her son’s health was failing. She went to see a variety of specialists in their hometown in the Dominican Republic, hoping to find out what could possibly be ailing her ten-year-old son. It wasn’t long before the diagnosis was clear: Victor had leukemia; he would not survive without a bone marrow transplant.

The news was shocking; Ana barely knew how to react. But the diagnosis itself felt easy to swallow compared to what came next: the doctors informed Ana that the bone marrow transplant  needed to save Victor’s life could not be performed in their country.

Despite the news, Ana insisted that Victor’s sister, her daughter Nayelyn, be tested to see if she would be a bone marrow match with Victor. She was. But then reality sunk in. She looked over at her two beautiful children, and realized that her son’s cure was sitting there next to him, handing him Legos, and teasing him about his sleepiness. Her son’s only chance for survival sat right next to him, but there was nothing she could do.

A devastating sense of helplessness set in.

In February, Victor’s doctor reached out to the Icla da Silva Foundation President, Airam da Silva, seeking for resources available to save Victor’s life.

For months, the Foundation has worked to find a way to get Victor the medical care he needed to survive. We were able to partner with Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital  to provide Victor with his bone marrow transplant, and with Ronald McDonald House in Connecticut, which has graciously hosted Victor and his family throughout his treatment.