He was in the final days of a monthlong visit to Chicago, and Juan Manuel Pineda needed adjustments to his prosthetic legs.
His trip to Scheck & Siress, an Oak Park prosthetic and orthotic clinic, was the latest chapter in a remarkable three-year journey that has attracted volunteer medical and other support for the talented 21-year-old from El Salvador.
Pineda was born with a cleft palate and dental deformities. He suffered third-degree burns in a house fire when he was 2. Both legs were subsequently amputated above the knee. By the time he was 9, his father had abandoned the family and his mother had died of an ulcer.
Things began to improve for him. Pineda was brought to the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) orphanage in El Salvador, where his musical talent was nurtured.
In 2007, when he joined the orphanage in its fund-raising musical fiestas in the Chicago area, a group of University of Illinois at Chicago physicians guided him into a Shriners Hospital for Children program.
Julie McCay, a certified licensed prosthetist at Scheck & Siress, first cared for Pineda in May 2007, after he was referred to the companys Oak Park clinic from the Shriners hospital.
For years, Scheck & Siress prosthetists have provided their services and expertise in caring for children amputees at Shriners. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, McCay and Alex Trumper, a prosthetic resident, supervised the effort to fine-tune his alignment .
"He really just needed some adjustments today," McCay said. "There are some issues with how he's walking, and he's going to address those with a physical therapist."
It's a good bet that he'll make great strides. Friends of Pineda rave about his ability to make the most of opportunities that come his way.
One came in the last year. Pineda had written a series of songs and, with help from musicians and producers, created a CD called The Sound of Gratitude.
On Oct. 15, he played a concert featuring his music at the Green Dolphin Street nightclub in Chicago. Some 350 people attended, and Pinedas experience captured widespread media attention, including a front-page story in the Chicago Tribune.
Four days after the concert, he underwent craniofacial cosmetic surgery—his fifth surgery in the last three years.
He is slated to have another surgery in six months.
During Pinedas visit to Scheck & Siress, the company played The Sound of Gratitude to honor him. As he heard his voice through the office intercom system, Pineda could only smile.
Scheck & Siress has been but one player in a parade of individuals and organizations that have helped Pineda.
Others include Friends of the Orphans, the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos International (NPHI) Medical Services Team, and host families, like Brian and Marlene Byrne and Mel and Mary Jo Howard.
Dr. Sue Haverkamp, a regional medical director with the NPHI Medical Services Team, joined Pineda at his appointment at Scheck & Siresss 401 W. Harrison St. office in Oak Park.
Through her translation, Pineda expressed gratitude for the support he has received.
"It has been surprising to see how so many people have been willing to help me have better opportunities for my future. It's been really good," Pineda said. "I really believe that my opportunities and my perspectives are greater because of the experiences I've had here."
In addition to caring for people who come to the United States from other countries, among the initiatives that Scheck & Siress supports is Range of Motion Project (ROMP), co-founded by prosthetist Eric Neufeld.
ROMP is a not-for-profit organization, based in Guatemala, that provides prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces to those who cannot afford or do not have access to these services, empowering them to contribute to their families and communities.
Among a number of others from Scheck & Siress, McCay has made three trips to Guatemala for ROMP.
For more information about ROMP or Scheck & Siress, which has 11 locations throughout the region, visit http://www.rompglobal.org and http://www.scheckandsiress.com
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