Mental illnesses in third world countries are often neglected and ignored.  When everyone in a family is required to pull their own weight and contribute, a family is at a disadvantage if they have a child who struggles in certain basic functions.  Another compounding factor lies with there being little care for the mentally ill.  In barrios, which are like slums, children born with defects are even left to die.  Such was the case with this sweet little boy named Paco.

Someone had bundled the babe up and left him in a graveyard to die.  Luckily a kind soul had found him and brought him to the orphanage where he was nursed to health and raised.  Nobody is entirely sure what is wrong with Paco, but the likely choice is Down’s Syndrome.  He has some of the key signs like:

• A flat face with an upward slant to the eye, a short neck, small ears, and a large tongue
• Tiny white spots on the iris (colored part) of the eye
• Small hands and feet
• A single crease across the palm of the hand
• Small pinky fingers that sometimes curve toward the thumb
• Poor muscle tone or loose ligaments

From the Center for Disease and Control.

At first, Paco couldn’t understand or speak at all.  But once the orphanage hired a specialist to work with the mentally disabled children, he began to progress.  Paco learned how to count and could say simple words.  While he will never function at the same level as all the other children, he has come a long way under the supervision and training of the specialist.  It is sad to know that so many children can be neglected and pushed to this side because of  a factor that they can’t control.  However, there are some activists in the D.R. who are pushing for more treatment for mentally ill patients, so there is hope for others.