Burn victim, Valeriano Pop on the road to recovery

 19-year-old Valeriano Pop is on the road to recovery after he received burns to 70 percent of his body on January 4. He was burning garbage at his residence in Bella Vista Village when it violently exploded. His mother, Concepciona Choco told Love News today that she had to take him to Guatemala for urgent assistance. She spoke to us via Zoom from the hospital in Puerto Barrios. 

Concepcion Choco, Valeriano Pop’s Mom: “He is doing much better here in Guatemala. I am in Puerto Barrios Hospital with him, it’s a private hospital so he is doing much better now. The specialist just left and they told me that he is doing perfect, the burns are going slowly by slowly and I thank God for that. My son is talking, the therapists are working with him right now because he needs that because due to the burns that he got all his muscles are down and he could barely walk so they started to do that with him today, the therapists are here with him right now and he is getting back slowly on his feet.”

But Pop’s medical bills are mounting. After receiving treatment at the KHMH, he was taken to a private hospital in Guatemala. His family is raising funds but what they have now is nowhere enough. Choc says she’s always waiting for an official apology for the way Pop was treated at the Independence Polyclinic. 

Concepcion Choco, Valeriano Pop’s Mom: “I’m really asking my Belizean people to help me save a life which is why I am in Guatemala now and I thank the doctors from KHMH they helped me a lot with him so this is the finishing where I am now in Guatemala and the doctors here are doing their very best so that my son can recover very well but I really really need financial help so that they could assist me in paying my hospital bills in KHMH and the hospital bill I have right now is very costly. Right now I’m still waiting for the answer from the doctor what will they do with the neglect of what they did to my son in Independence Polyclinic. I didn’t get a call, no apology nothing up to now and I’m waiting for that. If they don’t mean what they did to my son why should they not call me or asking me how my son is doing ? But none of that. Right now I am telling you the truth I cannot handle the pain but the good lord is there for me.”

For more information, you can call 633-4831 or 633-9405. If you would like to help, deposit to Pablo Choco’s Belize Bank Account, number 1069-1001-0220-001.