Tuesday, March 01, 2022
We improve mobility conditions for people with disabilities in Arroyo Hondo.
Disability is not synonymous with incapacity and Gustavo Arrieta Martínez, a 66-year-old from San Jacintero, is a faithful example of this, since he has managed, with his positive attitude and his desire to move forward, to face the adversities he has encountered. on the path of life.
This man, living for 30 years in the community of Arroyo Hondo, worked as a driver of a school bus, with which he picked up children from the rural area to take them to the educational institution of the municipality. Thanks to this activity, Gustavo managed to bring daily sustenance to his home, however, due to circumstances beyond his control, he was unable to continue in this work.
Approximately 6 years ago, he suffered an unfortunate accident, after a rod fell on his left foot. That injury caused an infection that began to affect his leg, where the doctors had no choice but to amputate part of the compromised lower limb.
That incident marked this man forever, who, despite economic difficulties, accepted his disability with the desire to turn it into his strength to continue advancing in life, counting on the support of his loved ones, in particular his wife, Inilda Ortega Ortiz.
With the support of friends and acquaintances, he decided to set up a stand selling fruits and tubers, mango being his star product. Marketing is carried out, most of the time, outside his house, located in the Los Patios neighborhood, and sometimes he goes to the soccer field and the public square to achieve better profits, when he has larger volumes. to sell.
However, his wheelchair had deteriorated, a situation that was affecting his mobility. In addition, his age and comorbidity due to his weight, did not allow him to move in the conditions in which he required, but this changed thanks to the Commissioners, José Luis Hernández Castilla, commander of the Arroyo Hondo Police Station and the patrolman Ricardo Mora Miranda, prevention manager. and citizen education in said police unit.
Both uniformed men, assigned to the Bolívar Police Department and with the support of all the uniformed personnel, launched the “Joy of Life” activity with which they sought to give Gustavo a wheelchair. Knocking on doors before various entities and good-hearted citizens, the Institution found the support of Litografía IMPREMAST and Fundación Manos Amigas, in Cartagena, who gave their grain of sand and made it possible to make the new mobility device that this poor citizen needed so much a reality. resources.
“I am very grateful to God, first and second, to the police officer who put me in my path, because he is a noble person. I thank the Police because they realized that because of my disability I was in a bad way and they helped me, that they continue with this work of helping people like me who need it so much. I am grateful to them and to the entities that helped to get the wheelchair”, said Gustavo Arrieta.
Currently, Gustavo can move more comfortably to continue selling his products, but he requires the support of the citizen to adapt some parts of his house, in order to have a better quality of life; That is why from the Bolívar Police Department and the Arroyo Hondo Police Station we will continue in our institutional work, providing the accompaniment that this older adult requires.
