Matias needs Cranial Surgery in Peru - Apert Syndrome

My name is Gualberto Carhuaslla and I have lived and worked in Pittsburgh, PA since 1970.

My great nephew, Matias Alcantara, aged thirteen, was born with Apert Syndrome in Lima, Peru. My niece Karina and her husband, Alcides Alcantara, love Matias and have struggled with complications of his condition. This teenager

has already gone through 9 surgeries. Matias is brave and optimistic.

Apert Syndrome is characterized by cranial bones that fuse together too early, before the baby is born. This does not allow enough space for the brain to grow normally. The eyes are often distended and damaged, as a result. The child's digits (fingers and toes) are webbed and have to be separated by surgery, so that the child can use a fork to eat or hold a pencil to write.

Matias is intelligent, funny and curious. He does well in school and loves sports, but his eyesight is being damaged by his condition. Once his cranium heals, Matias will need several eye surgeries.

Recently, Matias underwent cranial surgery (LeFort III) to move the center of his face forward. He spent more than two weeks in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, sedated and on a ventilator, as he improved. It will take at least four months for him to recover from this procedure.

Matias's parents are young and their medical insurance in Peru does not cover these procedures. In the past we have tried to help them financially, but these costs are beyond their means.

Karina's father was my beloved older brother, Raul Carhuaslla. Raul's life ended tragically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We want to support Raul's grandson Matias and provide a better quality of life for this special young man.