Change mindset of a physically disabled child Peru

The story of Iker and his family is the story of many households learning to rebuild themselves amid constant change. It has not been easy for any of them: the father left the country in search of better opportunities, the mother carries even more responsibilities, the sister entering adolescence lives with the weight of always being “the strong one,” “the one who should be fine,” and “the one nobody sees,” and a boy who, at only ten years old and a phisycaldisability, felt forced to silence his emotions about all of this because that is how he got used to coping—it hurt less that way. 

For a long time, emotions were swept under the rug. Iker’s silence spoke louder than a thousand words; his reserve was his way of protecting himself. Mayté, his sister, invisible to parents consumed by other pains, carried the mission of being the support, the caretaker, the one who had to endure. And the mother, trapped between absence, financial demands, and desperation, oscillated between allowing too much and correcting harshly, without realizing that what she was really trying to do was simply keep her family from falling apart. 

But something changed. After a major family crisis, the mother sought help in a psychology practice and shared her distress. The therapeutic space became a refuge, a place where time stood still so they could look inward. There, little by little, each one dared to name their pain. Iker began to speak, to recognize that feeling does not make him weak, but human. He learned that it’s not always about winning, but about understanding, being fair, and recognizing what is right. His sister Mayté began to heal the invisible wounds of having been “the forgotten one,” and to recognize herself as valuable, worthy of care and love. And the mother, in the midst of her exhaustion, discovered that setting limits is also a way of loving, and that supporting her children does not mean losing herself, she found strength in setting boundaries and caring for herself as well. 

Healing is a process, and no child should go through it alone, for that reason it was so important to involve his family in the process and help them heal together.Like every process, it is not a perfect one. Arguments, frustrations, and silences still exist. But now there is a bridge: the bridge of words, of listening, of the intention to do better. What was hidden for years is beginning to surface, and although it hurts, it also frees. Because true transformation does not happen overnight, but in those small steps that seem almost invisible, yet gradually give shape to a new way of living as a family—one in which everyone is learning to cooperate, to follow routines, and to value one another. 

The story of this family reminds us that healing does not mean forgetting or erasing what hurt. Healing is having the courage to face it, to name it, and, despite everything, to choose to move forward together. 

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