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Four-year-old Valeria Ramos dances on her bed in her room that was made over by the Make-A-Wish Foundation due to the life-threatening heart condition Ramos suffers from. (ERIC MILLER PHOTO / December 28, 2012) |
HOLTVILLE — Most days, Lucia Garcia has a hard time keeping up with her 4-year-old daughter Valeria Ramos.
“She never stops,” Garcia, a Holtville resident, said in Spanish. “I can’t get her to sit still for even a minute.”
Despite her daughter’s constant chatter and seemingly endless energy, Garcia said it is a blessing considering everything her daughter has been through.
Valeria suffers from pulmonary vein stenosis, a condition where there is a blockage in the blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood from the lungs back to the heart.
By the age of 2, Valeria had to undergo open heart surgery to repair the two veins that had closed off.
“The doctors tell me she should get tired easily because of her condition, but I don’t see it,” Garcia said with a smile.
Through Valeria’s numerous visits with doctors in San Diego, Garcia became aware of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“When she became old enough to be granted a wish I thought she’d like new furniture for her room because it’s something she can use for a long time,” Garcia said.
Last month, Garcia’s vision of seeing her daughter in a new room came to fruition.
“At first she was a little sad because it meant she had to sleep by herself instead of with me and my husband,” Garcia said. “But she got over it very quickly. Now she wants to do everything in her room, it doesn’t matter what it is.”
Valeria said she loves everything about her new room.
“I like my television because I can watch movies,” Valeria said in Spanish. “And I love my big bed too.”
In addition to her love of her new furniture, Valeria also enjoys spending time with her family and eating pizza.
“My favorite place to go is Chuck E. Cheese,” Valeria said. “Even though I don’t really like rats.”
Garcia said she was tremendously grateful for the Make-A-Wish volunteers that made her daughter’s happiness possible.
“Benita Diaz and Evelyn Sanchez came and decorated everything and helped me fill out all the applications that I needed in order to make this possible,” she said.
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