She lost her hand in an accident and feels like an outcast. She needs a prosthetic

When Brigite Valverde was being trained to use a meat grinder, she made a mistake she says will haunt her for the rest of her life.

On May 14, 2022, Valverde was studying for a degree in industrial engineering, concentrating on production, at the Higher University of San Simόn in Bolivia.

“I was helping them clean out the machine, but they didn’t warn me that it was still on,” Valverde said tearfully. “That’s when it grabbed my hand. And when I took it out, I no longer had my hand.”

She was only 23 years old when the accident took one-third of her left arm. Now living in South Florida with her family, she hopes the Miami Herald/elNuevo Herald Wish Book can help her get medical equipment that was unavailable in Bolivia. Feeling hopeless and in despair, she longs for a functional prosthetic so that she can regain her independence.

“I’m practically fully reliant on my mom,” Valverde said. “Something so basic, like eating, I can’t do because you need both hands to use the utensils. I want to be seen as a normal person and be independent with my life.”

The loss of her limb has made it difficult to leave the house. Once a social, outgoing young woman, she says now she is a stay-at-home daughter, feeling too embarrassed to go outside as she fears what others will say. According to Valverde, the culture in Bolivia makes those with disabilities feel like outcasts, shunned by the rest of society and forced into isolation.

“I don’t leave the house because I don’t want to confront the reality,” she said. “I feel embarrassed to leave because when you pass people, they look at you weird.”

Although the university covered her medical bills from the accident, Valverde and her family continued to struggle with such a permanent loss.

Left with few medical options in her homeland, her mother, Brenda, who herself was a nurse in Bolivia, looked abroad for hope. After securing a tourist visa, Brenda traveled with Brigite and her two siblings to Miami on Nov. 30, 2022, with the goal of securing a functioning prosthetic that could give her daughter her independence.

“Due to my work as a nurse, I was surrounded by many doctors,” Brenda said. “They told me: ‘Brenda, you will not be able to continue here to get the prosthetic your daughter needs. You can only find those types of prosthetics in the United States or in Europe.’ I had to move over here to find something better for my daughter.”

Now the family of four lives in a cramped trailer in Opa-locka. Although she is the eldest sibling, now 24, Brigite cannot work, drive, or do most daily activities without assistance. Brenda is the family’s main provider. She works as a house cleaner and is Brigite’s primary caretaker. Her son, Eyton, 22, works in construction, and her daughter, Wara, 17, is beginning courses in nursing and does what she can to make Brigite smile despite the circumstances.

“I used to love doing my hair, so my sister told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna brush you, you’re gonna be my doll,’” Valverde said.

Despite her struggles, Brigite aims to use this experience to help those who have suffered similar injuries back in Bolivia. The country lacks adequate safety regulations and inspectors to help prevent them, she says. Once she is able to get a functional prosthetic, Brigite aims to change this.

With disability, she felt like an outcast

“I want to help people so that they don’t fall under the same misfortune I did,” Brigite said.

Michael Salem, president of the S.T.E.P.S. organization in South Florida, who nominated Brigite for Wish Book, has worked extensively with the Valverde family. He has made it his mission to help Brigite get the prosthetic she needs.

“So far, we were able to find a clinic that she could get any tests she needs,” Salem said. “Brigite is a bright, kind, and wonderful soul. If she gets the prosthetic hand, it may change her life.”

S.T.E.P.S. is a family assistance program that helps with medical devices and equipment, healthcare access and other services.

From Wish Book, Brigite wants help in purchasing a functional prosthetic arm so she can regain her independence and help her family. With it, she hopes to return to a normal existence. Due to limited space in their trailer, the family is also looking for housing opportunities and access to a car for transportation.

“I just want to be independent with my life and not have to depend on anyone else and help other people so that these kinds of accidents don’t happen,” Brigite said.

HOW TO HELP

To help the more than 180 other nominees who are in need this year:

▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook

▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or email Wishbook@MiamiHerald.com

▪ The most requested items are often laptops and tablets for school, furniture, and accessible vans

▪ Read all Wish Book stories on www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook

This story is the product of a partnership between the Miami Herald and the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media at Florida International University

This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 5:30 AM.