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Ana Karen Orozco Rodríguez

Ana Karen has been coming to Pasitos de Luz for 13 years. She is now 20 years old and is well-known at Casa Connor for her big smile, but can be very shy if she doesn’t know you. She likes to do adult things, like accompanying her mom on errands, but also loves activities at Pasitos, especially out in the garden spaces where she helps to water the plants.

Diagnosis

Ana Karen is diagnosed with delayed psychomotor development and learning disabilities. When she started with us at age 7, she displayed difficulties with her language and motor skills. However, what most stood out was how far behind she was in her learning and her physical wellbeing; she was very malnourished. She refused to listen to her teachers’ instructions and struggled to retain information, even if told something a few seconds earlier. Ana Karen was also not properly toilet-trained and had little or no interest in her personal hygiene.

Therapies

The team at Pasitos de Luz has worked patiently with Ana Karen over many years to help her overcome the challenges she faces. We are proud of her in so many ways! For example, we love how she is now able to hold conversations with both classmates and teachers, and how her motor skills have come on significantly. By eating two regular, healthy meals each day at Pasitos de Luz, Ana Karen’s physical health has improved vastly. Malnutrition is a thing of the past, as are her difficulties with going to the toilet and personal hygiene. Ana Karen now takes pride in looking after herself.

While these improvements have been slower than in other kids we care for, they are still very praiseworthy and represent major steps forward. Ana Karen’s efforts mean that she can now: distinguish between different colours, numbers and vowels, and is slowly but surely learning to read. What we would like to see next from Ana Karen is a greater level of self-sufficiency and learning.

Family Life

Ana Karen lives with her mom and her little sister Brenda, who also has disabilities and is enrolled at Pasitos de Luz. Both sisters think of Pasitos as their extended family. They have become familiar with the routines and work that we do with the younger children here and, on occasions, lend a helping hand as volunteers with the little kids.