gymsmile FOR SAMANTHA

Samantha San Martín Germán is a testament to love, strength, and hope in the midst of difficulties. Samantha was born on December 19, 2019, in Cartagena, and during her first few months, everything seemed to be fine. However, when she was just 4 months old, one morning she began to vomit and showed blood in her stool. Her parents took her to the emergency room at the Casa del Niño clinic, where she had to undergo surgery for intussusception.

After the surgery, while she was in recovery, Samantha suffered two respiratory arrests that completely changed her family’s life. Due to the complications, she was transferred to the ICU, where she remained hospitalized for two months. As a consequence of these episodes, Samantha was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She also needed a tracheostomy, which, thanks to God and her progress, was able to be removed five years ago.

Today, Samantha is 6 years old and continues to fight every day with a smile and an admirable strength. Her mother, Keila Germán Roca, 29 years old, is an entrepreneurial mother who sells cakes to help support the household while Samantha’s father looks for employment. They currently live at the paternal grandparents’ house along with other relatives, in the El Pozón neighborhood of Cartagena, under difficult economic conditions.

Despite all the challenges, Keila does not give up. Day by day, she performs exercises and therapies at home to stimulate Samantha’s development: she does stretching, massages, head control exercises, activities with textures and sounds, in addition to always accompanying her with love and dedication.

The family dreams of continuing to provide Samantha with better opportunities and tools that will allow her to progress in her process and make her life a little easier. Although the path has not been simple, they move forward clinging to faith, love, and the hope of seeing Samantha continue to grow and overcome every obstacle.