Silvia Juarez-Marazzo

My name is Silvia Corina. I am 60 years old and I have a passion for little ones and their families. I specialized in Trauma Infant Mental Health psychotherapy and I also illustrate and write children's books. This is how I met dear Dr. Osei in 2018. I was at the Frankfurt Buchmesse presenting my children's illustrated storybooks. Inevitably, I had to visit Berlin and this is where I tripped with an unattended safety hazard, breaking my left wrist. This is my dominant hand; the one that loves drawing for little ones and their parents stories of love and courage! Dr. Osei and his brilliant, expert and compassionate team reconstructed my wrist; in time, the drawings began to dance with crayons and paper again. Around the same time, I had being diagnosed with an extreme case of osteoporosis. I felt terrified. Dr. Osei referred me to Dr. Serota and we began a process of giving my bones enough strength to continue playing with little ones and their families in the therapy room and to dance Argentinian Tango as well as the dances of the world. Teriparatide and zoledronic acid have been my bones' vitamins.

I feel compelled to tell you my story: Last May, I took on El Camino Portuguese in Spain to give gratitude to the Universe for its benevolence as one of my nephews received a lifesaving bone marrow transplant in December 2022 and he is moving forward. I needed to walk for him and for my family. I walked steadily and with joyful strength El Camino from Tui to Santiago de Compostela: 155 km in 6 days. As I began to walk the third day under penetrating rain, my gratitude to Dr. Serota, Dr. Osei and HSS filled me with a strength I did not know I would have: in the middle of a stepped hill; the path filled with big and slippery rocks, I saw that a dad was stuck pushing his quadriplegic young adult son in an adapted wheelchair. I thought of Dr. Osei and my bionic hand and Dr. Serota and my bionic bones and I felt the love and gratitude that I needed to mobilize my courage and put my new powers to the test. In silence, I grabbed the front wheel, looked at dad and son, and simply pushed forward and helped to move the wheelchair. When we arrived to a safe path, the dad looked at me, caressed his son and said, "You see, we are never alone son." I pushed that immensely heavy wheel forward with them for more than 1 km. At the top of the hill, Dad looked at me and said, "Now you do not have to worry. I can do this. When I needed you, you came from nowhere. We are so grateful! Buen Camino!" My left hand dancing in gratitude; my bones walking forward with confidence; my heart filled with hope and trust.