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Brenda Orozco Rodríguez 

Brenda first came to Pasitos de Luz in 2008 when she was just a little baby. She was 2 years old. She has grown up to be an inquisitive girl who is always smiling, although sometimes she can be shy, as you can see in her photo. She loves to dance and sing, and particularly enjoys sessions in our therapy pool. Brenda also really enjoys being out in the green spaces at Casa Connor, helping with the plants and taking part in Temazcal, a traditional Mexican steam therapy.

Diagnosis

Brenda has been diagnosed with delayed neurodevelopment, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and astigmatism (a condition in which the eye isn’t completely round, causing blurred vision). When Brenda’s mom first came to us, her baby daughter was badly malnourished and underweight. During her first couple of years at Pasitos de Luz, Brenda struggled to reach the milestones usually reached by children her age; she was not talking or walking, she had no control over his bladder or sphincters, and she suffered from constipation. She also seemed to show little interest in her personal hygiene. It was a common sight to see Brenda rush towards her mom and cling to her skirt if ever she came into contact with someone she didn’t know. She was a very nervous little girl.

Therapies

The team at Pasitos de Luz has really worked hard to achieve breakthroughs with Brenda and we are all so proud of her progress. We all remember the day that she spoke her first words, took her first steps and learnt to use the toilet by herself. Now a 15 year old teenage girl, Brenda is much more assiduous in her personal hygiene and, thanks to the two meals a day she receives at Pasitos de Luz, is physically healthy and well-nourished. And thanks to the full range of care and support we give her, she now has the skills and capacity to face the challenges posed by life. What we would really like to see in Brenda now is a greater level of self-sufficiency and initiative, both inside and outside of Pasitos, as well as improvements in her cognitive and social abilities.

Family Life

Brenda lives with her mom Bertha and her older sister Ana Karen in a tiny, one-room apartment. All three of them have varying degrees of learning disabilities, and Ana Karen also attends Pasitos de Luz, while Bertha works here in our laundry. The whole family finds Casa Connor a loving and caring environment where they can feel safe. Now that both Brenda and Ana Karen are older, they help out with the younger children, but also very much enjoy spending time with kids their own age