Andreína's Story of Hope

Andreina's Story of HopeWhen she was 1 year old, Andreína was diagnosed with encephalitis and lost her motor skills normal to that age. In spite of that, at 11 years old, she loves to sing, but more than anything, she loves to play soccer. She has an amazing ability to run quickly with the help of a walker.

This young girl was born in Venezuela. When she was 3 years old she moved to Puerto Rico with her parents, María and Carlos, and her brother Alejandro, who accompanies her while she sings along with his guitar. Andreína enrolled at Easter Seals Puerto Rico where she started taking speech and occupational therapy.

With her serene voice and eyes, Andreína says that she wants to be a singer, fashion designer, athlete, or soccer coach.

“I love the colors of each fashion season and always pick out my own clothes. When listening to music, I enjoy the different pitches of voices. My favorite songs are in English because I learn the language by reading and memorizing the song lyrics,” says Andreína, who is currently in sixth grade and won the spelling bee contest at Easter Seals Puerto Rico.

She is also very interested in musical instruments, especially the violin and percussion. She is equally interested in drawing, but sadly had to quit her art lessons because it was very difficult for her to climb the three flights of stairs where the lessons were held.
 
“My favorite hobby is soccer. I play with my friends using my walker.  I keep playing even if I’m tired, because I like being an athlete. What happened to me is not a handicap because it doesn’t affect what I can do,” Andreína said.