Their doctor told them it would be impossible, but Joao Carlos and Terezinha Reis were determined their daughter would walk, even if it meant leaving their native Brazil. Relying on little more than faith, the parents and their three children arrived in Chicago a few years ago to seek help at Children’s Memorial Hospital for Pryscila, 7, who has spina bifida.
Now, their temporary tourist visa is to expire Oct. 9, and a church that welcomed the family and raised $18,000 for their medical bills is scrambling to find a way to keep them here a little longer.
At stake is the progress Pryscila has made in physical therapy. Stimulation treatment has helped her learn to control some of her bodily functions.
Members of the Community Church of Wilmette have written to state and federal officials, asking them to support the family’s request for a six-month extension of their visa. That would allow Pryscila to continue working toward independence and give the family time to raise money for adaptive equipment, such as a larger wheelchair and a bicycle.
“She’s a miraculous story,” said Rev. Denise Janssen of Community Church, which staged a fundraiser for Pryscila in June. “Spina bifida patients just don’t do this well.”
Caused by a birth defect in which the spinal column doesn’t close completely, spina bifida can result in paralysis, hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) and difficulty controlling bladder and bowel functions.Pryscila took her first steps during physical therapy in Chicago in 2000 with the help of a special brace. It supports the lower half of her torso, and must be replaced as she grows, said Terezinha Reis, an elementary school teacher in Juiz de Fora, a city in southeastern Brazil, where the family lives.
There, doctors offered no hope that Pryscila would ever walk. But her parents read a newspaper article when she was a year old that described how another child defied similar predictions after being treated in the United States.
The family, including daughter, Rebeca, 13, and son, Lucas, 16, has made several short trips to the Chicago area since 2000 for Pryscila’s medical treatments. To cover costs, Terezinha sold homemade crafts, such as colorful foam bookmarks, while Joao Carlos worked overtime. Their church in Brazil contributed money, and several airlines provided free flights.
When the family arrived last fall, they decided to stay a year even though their English skills–they speak Portuguese–were limited and they had little money. They rented a small ranch house in Wilmette after a friend recommended the village for its good schools and proximity to the hospital.
Within days, the family discovered Community Church after taking a short walk around the neighborhood. They attended a Sunday service and quickly fit in with the small congregation, Janssen said.
“They have very little, but to the extent they can, they contribute,” she said. “They help in the schools.”
With money from the church, which continues to raise funds on her behalf, Pryscila last summer was fitted with a new walking brace. She also underwent other treatments that required daily visits for four weeks to Children’s Memorial Hospital.
Because they haven’t received a response to their visa request, the family has prepared to return home. They originally arrived on a six-month visa and were approved for a six-month extension, which is about to end.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services bureau sent a letter to the family in August saying it could take up to six months to process the request for a visa extension.
Until they get a response, the family is allowed to remain in the country, but the parents worry about uprooting the children from school if it is denied. They would have an additional 30 days to leave if the request is denied, said Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, spokeswoman for the federal agency.
“I don’t know what the results will be, if the approval will be given or denied,” Garcia-Upson said. “Each case is handled on its own merits.”
The office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is working on the case, said spokeswoman Christina Angarola.
“We understand what a serious case it is and are doing everything we can to keep the family here legally,” she said.
Dave Gorak, executive director of the Lombard-based Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, said his group has no problem with legitimate requests to remain in the country.
“It’s not uncommon for people to ask for extensions of their visas, and we certainly wouldn’t want to stand in the way of this child getting medical care,” Gorak said.
Pryscila’s father teaches at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. Despite earning an income that provides for a middle-class life in Brazil, Reis would have a hard time raising the $8,000 that her walking brace cost, he said.
Pryscila, who underwent surgery to close her spine as a newborn, is expected to become a self-sufficient adult if she continues the therapy and learns how to cope with her physical limitations, her parents said.
“They have fought to get their child the help she needs to live a productive life,” said Betty Jacobs, a member of the church who’s assisted the family. “When you see how bright and how beautiful she is, you can’t help but jump on the bandwagon and want to help. They’re just very lovely, lovely people, warm and bright and happy and close as a family.”
Lucas, a junior at New Trier Township High School, has served as translator, accompanying the family to doctor visits.
Pryscila, a 1st grader at McKenzie School in Wilmette, played with dolls nearby, grinning shyly. She enjoys the TV show “That’s So Raven” and showing off her two guinea pigs.
“It was hard for us in the beginning, when we knew she needed a wheelchair,” Lucas said. “It was like, why? Why my sister? Why my family?”
The family prays every day. So far, they say, their prayers have been answered.
“God put us here,” Joao Carlos said. “We come here with nothing. … We want to give her an independent life, a good life.”
