The Ana Rios Story
October 22, 2003
Guatemalan Girl Receives Life Changing Surgery in United States
Nashville, TN – Caught in the crossfire of a gang argument over a pair of sneakers, seven-year-old Ana Rios was left for dead in November 2002. Surgeons in her native Guatemala City were unable to remove the bullet and left a disfiguring scar from her stomach to her legs.
Enter the Shalom Foundation. In January 2003, the Foundation had sent a fact-finding team to Guatemala. Steve Moore, one of the four organizers, met Ana. Moved with compassion, he reported her condition back to Foundation members who decided to bring her to the U.S. for cosmetic surgery. It took much of the year to get Ana into the U.S., including the intervention of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. This past October, Ana finally arrived in Music City.
American Airlines provided the airfare for Ana and her aunt to come to Nashville. Southern Hills Hospital provided its facilities for Dr. Max Baxter to remove the bullet. Dr. Pat Maxwell contributed his cosmetic surgery skills.
However, the day before the scheduled operation, a trip to the dentist revealed four abscessed teeth. The condition had to be corrected before the next day’s surgery. Dr. David Snodgrass provided the emergency dental care which included the removal of eight teeth plus four root canals. The next day the bullet was removed, and the scar repaired. Ana was soon on her way back to Guatemala.
“Ana touched so many hearts here,” said Moore. “When she went back, she had clothes and goodies for her and other children.” In fact, she brought back 12 bags of donated items. (Hmmm, that has a familiar biblical ring to it.)
The Shalom Foundation is made up of members from several Nashville area churches. It helps kids and families that can’t help themselves. It’s a small foundation doing big things in Guatemala. Besides building a church and school there, they also build houses for people like Ana that need permanent shelter.
