NAME: LUIS
CONDITION: SPINE DISORDER
LOCATION: MEXICO
When Luis was 18 months old, he couldn’t walk. His mom, Carmina, knew something wasn’t right.
Luis enjoys the dynamic movements of dance, where he can combine art and athleticism.
Months later, when he finally took his first steps, Luis dragged his left foot. That’s when the real diagnosis came: sacral agenesis. Luis was born without a sacrum or coccyx — the last two sections of the spine — affecting his legs, feet and other body systems. Doctors warned he might stop walking at a very young age.
Nearly three years later, his family discovered Shriners Children’s Mexico, and for the first time, they had answers. Luis started receiving care from specialists in urology, orthopedics, scoliosis and orthotics. He had 10 surgeries. Each time, there was fear that he might stop walking. But after every procedure, Luis stood back up.
“Before we came to Shriners Children’s, it was like walking in the dark,” Carmina remembers.
Along the way, Luis found a powerful ally: sports. At 13, he began competitive dance, as well as shot put and javelin. In sports, he found a space to release fear, stress and frustration.
Dance helped improve his posture and his scoliosis. But more than that, it taught him something even bigger: to believe in himself.
“The surgeries and the appointments gave me confidence. In dance, if you don’t have confidence, you can’t shine on the floor,” he says. And Luis wants to shine: His goal is to reach the world stage in competitive dance.
Today, Luis is not just a patient. He is a dancer. He is an athlete. He is a young man whose greatest achievement is not just walking. It’s never giving up.
