Learning to Live With Limb Loss: What Venezuela’s Young Survivors Teach Us About Recovery
Reading Time: 4 minutes
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Summary:
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Twin earthquakes (magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5) struck Venezuela in June; government figures released in late October report more than 6,500 deaths.
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At least 200 amputations were reported in August, nearly half minors; no official public count.
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Below-knee prostheses cost about $3,000-$5,000, and above-knee models cost $7,000-$12,000; electronic models cost more.
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Fondo Humanitario 77 shows $401,777 raised toward a $2 million goal as of October 29.
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UNICEF secured $29.5 million of $65.7 million needed (September); the Red Cross response is about 40% funded.
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Dennis Castillo waited 28 hours to be rescued after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026. She was trapped under rubble in La Guaira, the state hardest hit by the quakes. According to government figures reported in late October, the disaster has been linked to more than 6,500 deaths.
The 17-year-old athlete has competed in fencing, swimming, and running since age 10. Months after the disaster, her father says she is focused on another goal: getting back to training.
The day the building fell
Castillo and her father, Deinnis, were heading out for a run when their building, more than 10 floors tall, collapsed. Deinnis, 40, regained consciousness with a dislocated leg and began searching for his daughter. When he found her, her lower body was trapped beneath the rubble, and a beam had crushed her left leg.
At the hospital, doctors told her the leg could not be saved and that she might die without surgery. After two hours of distress, she asked for her father, who said she agreed to the operation because she did not want to leave him alone.
One of many
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported in August that at least 200 people had undergone amputations, nearly half of them minors. In October, Juan Pablo Dos Santos, director of the Venezuelan nonprofit Juan Pablo Dos Santos Foundation, said about 200 people had been added to his organization’s database since the quakes, in addition to a waitlist that already numbered in the hundreds. There is still no official public count.
Why peer support matters
Dos Santos lost both legs in a car accident and has made peer support a central part of his response. Since the quakes, he has visited survivors, including young athletes. He told AFP that seeing other amputees rebuild their lives shows newly injured people that they have a future.
Prosthetist Bianca Damaso told AFP that recovery takes time and that some patients have not yet fully understood what has happened to them. She said prosthetic fitting is gradual: patients typically need two to three months of rehabilitation and conditioning before receiving their first prosthesis, while children may need five or six replacements as they grow.
The cost barrier
Dos Santos estimates below-knee prostheses cost about $3,000-$5,000 and above-knee models $7,000-$12,000. Electronic models are more expensive, and AFP noted that the priciest options are designed for athletes. His foundation prioritizes functional devices so patients can afford future repairs and replacements.
His foundation is partnering with Centro Integral de Rehabilitación Colombia (CIREC) and Venezuela’s Hospital Ortopédico Infantil on the Fondo Humanitario 77 program. As of October 29, the program’s fundraising page showed $401,777 raised toward its $2 million goal. The partners also plan to establish a specialist prosthetics and rehabilitation center to provide follow-up care.
Meanwhile, broader aid efforts have lost momentum. UNICEF reported in September that it had secured $29.5 million of the $65.7 million needed for its earthquake response in Venezuela, while the Red Cross said its response was about 40% funded. Direct Relief has announced a $1 million contribution to support long-term recovery, including prosthetic and orthotic care.
If you’d like to help financially, you can donate through Fondo Humanitario 77 or UNICEF.
Related Reading:
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