Matas Uribe, 14, has spent 60 days in an intensive care unit in the United States after contracting a dangerous bacterium that infected his limbs. Despite the pain he has endured, his faith is intact; he wants to play sports and play the piano again. From Medelln, his family is sending an urgent message to support his recovery.
On June 30, the nightmare began with a high fever and reddening all over the body. His parents referred him to the EMS, and he suffered cardiac arrest. His heart stopped for seven minutes. When they managed to stabilize him, he was loaded onto a helicopter and taken to a more complex hospital.
His aunt, Ana Mara Gutiérrez, witnessed the horrific incident: “It involved chemotherapy, mechanical ventilation, and dialysis. All of these devices were able to save his life, although the prognosis was extremely conservative. But despite the heart failure, his extremities didn’t have enough blood for a long time.”
The specialists suggested removing the left leg, as they had a better idea of ​​the impact the blow had on his body. Over hours, they ordered the amputation of the right leg. A week later, they saw it as important to intervene in both arms. This is caused by type A streptococci.
No one knows exactly where he contracted the disease. It is known to live in many places, mainly in the water. Before the symptoms, Matas and I spent time together on the beach and at a lake. Apparently, the “insect” ingested his lungs, then made its way to the heart, and what doctors in the United States call “Thesued.
From the intensive care unit, where he awaits two more surgeries, he remembers his athletic training and his piano lessons. In conversations with his school friends, he warns them that he will soon be returning to competitions with a novelty on his body. In her imagination, she has “robot hands and legs,” the aunt explained
Also on the dream list is taking up an engineering degree at MIT University in Massachusetts. He has been preparing for his recruitment since the age of 10, and, despite the doctors’ expectations, he is ready to get up and start his life again. He is accompanied in this task by his parents and his brother, who left the country a decade ago.
One obstacle would be economic conditions: they have to pay for four prostheses and take on their therapies. From Antioquia, the family is leading a campaign to raise money and knowledge for Matas’ recovery. Donations go to the Bancolombia savings account (342-524202-17 managed by his mother, Catalina Gutiérrez.
His life story touches hundreds of hearts around the world. One of the voices that took center stage iwasthat of J Balvin, who dedicated a few warm words to him: “Matas, Greetings from Jose. Good mood. You are an example for life. Much power, God bless you, and much light. A hug, always. Forward, warrior.
Although his parents bear ta life examplend his dreams, in Medelln and Rionegro they follow his process closely, hoping that the treatment will bring results every day: “We have faith, and so does he. It was a very tough moment, but here we are. “We are very religious and attached to it,” his aunt concluded.
