Marathon victim’s efforts bring girl to U.S. for surgery
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Thanks to the efforts of Karen Rand, Melissa Stefania Salinas (center) is finally getting the medical care she needs at Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston.

By Max Sullivan

Since last winter, Boston Marathon bombing survivor and Somerville native Karen Rand has been pushing to bring a teenaged girl from El Salvador who desperately needs medical attention to the United States for treatment. Last Thursday, she finally made it to Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston.

Rand and Melissa Stefania Salinas, 14, have one thing in common: They both lost a leg in 2013; Rand at the Boston Marathon; Salinas as a result of two speeding cars, racing in the streets of El Congo, Santa Anna, El Salvador.

Rand became aware of Salinas in December, when she met Mauricio Quiroga, an El Salvadorian friend of Salinas’ family who owns Boston Barstool on Mystic Avenue in Somerville. Rand and her boyfriend, Kevin McWatters, began raising money and awareness for Salinas, reaching out to Shriners in hopes that it would donate its time and care to her. By January, they had raised more than $11,000 to go towards a prosthetic leg, as well as a promise from Shriners to take her in.

Obstacles remained, though. The El Salvadorian government was hesitant to let Salinas and her mother and her younger sister, Daniella, go to the U.S., fearing they may not return. In addition, 11-year-old Daniella had nowhere to stay in the U.S., as Shriners could only provide housing for Salinas and her mother, and she could not stay alone in El Salvador.

Luckily, these issues were resolved in February. Rand worked with a lawyer in El Salvador to persuade the government to let the family go. Then, Salinas’ father, an El Salvadorian who lives in Kansas City, Mo., agreed to drive to Boston to pick Daniella up Thursday and keep her for the five months Salinas would be recovering at Shriners. Finally, Salinas was able to fly to Boston and get the treatment she needed.

When Salinas arrived with her mother and sister last Thursday, she was greeted by a group that included her father, Rand, McWatters, people from Shriners and even news cameras from Fox and ESPN. Rand found the emotions overwhelming.

“I can’t even describe it,” Rand said. “It was just so nice to know that they were finally here.”

Now at Shriners hospital, Salinas has received good news: While in El Salvador, the doctors in Boston suspected that she may have had an infection in her leg, something that the doctors in El Salvador doubted. This, however, was disproven Thursday. Shriners ran blood tests and X-rays on her, and though the test results did not come out until a few days later, it was clear to the doctors early on that there was no infection at all.

As a result, Salinas was able to begin her physical therapy this past week, something that would have had to wait a month if the infection were there.

In addition to her care, Shriners is providing English lessons for Salinas, which she started Monday.

Rand said that, despite the cultural barrier (Salinas and her mother speak do not English), she and McWatters have had a great time getting to know the family since their arrival. They visit every other day for two hours, using a translation app on McWatters’ iPhone to hold conversations. They said the family is incredibly sweet and that Salinas rarely seen without a bright smile on her face.

“We’re so happy,” Rand said. “We had this family come here. Really, we didn’t know them; we didn’t know how well we’d communicate. We didn’t know if we’d get along with them and if would it be awkward, but they exceeded our expectations. We immediately bonded with them. We love them. We’re so happy. What sweet, wonderful people they are.”

In addition to talking about Salinas’ day-to-day happenings, Rand connected with Salinas through her own experience of getting a prosthetic leg. She let Salinas feel her leg and showed how she walks and stands on it. She was happy to talk with Salinas about it and give her assurance.

“She’s very curious to feel my leg to see how it all works, and, truthfully, I was too,” Rand said. “I can remember the first time someone showed me (a prosthetic leg). I had no idea what to expect, so it is nice when someone did.”

Salinas and Rand have attracted a lot of attention. Not only will ABC air an ESPN E60 special on Salinas’ story this April, but Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley said via email that he intends to visit Salinas while she is at Shriners.

Salinas’ first surgery won’t will be until April. After that, she will spend an additional four months recovering at Shriners through physical therapy. As of now, she hopes she can go on to work in the medical field in her home country.

For more information, or to show support for Salinas’ cause, visit her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/melissaestefaniasalinasprostheticfund.