Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/952446
t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 8 25 Patty recalled trying to cross the bridge in the midst of the shootings. She and Jesus decided to travel by day to Reynosa and stayed in a hotel until they could leave the following morning. "It was very dangerous," she said. "We had to arrive during the day when it was calm so we didn't expose ourselves to risk." Violence along the border wasn't the only thing patients and their families had to worry about. "When the cartel violence was really bad, people were leaving their houses and, when they'd come home, their house had been ran- sacked," Stephenson said. "The cartels would watch them leave. While they were gone, [the cartel] destroyed their houses. They knew they were leaving the country because they were getting information from Mexican border patrol." Now, in order to cross the border, patients and their family members must present both a Mexican passport and visa, which could cost approximately $400. As a result, some of Shriners' neediest patients are unable to cross and receive the care they need. "As opposed to here, getting a passport in Mexico is very difficult. You have to have the father's signature to get a passport for the child," Stephenson said. "We still have an issue with families whose father is either in prison or has been likely murdered by the cartel, but there's no death certificate because there's no body. If you're in prison in Mexico, it's not like here where you know where they are." Despite these challenges, Shriners – Houston continues to work diligently to help patients and their families get the financial support and nec- essary documents they need to get to the clinic. "It's not what we physically do," Barnes said. "It's what we're doing to enable them to develop on their own and do amazing things. That's the rewarding aspect." Jesus has traveled to New York and Canada to compete in para dance sport and is now one of the top medalists in Nuevo León. He hopes to one day compete in the World Cup of para dance sport, but for now is looking forward to going to college to study psychology. He has a bright future, Patty said, and it wouldn't have been possible without Shriners. "Before we arrived at Shriners, my world was closed. I didn't know what I was going to do with Jesus' treatment. I was in the dark, but God always had an angel that helped me see the light when I felt that there was no way," Patty said. "The people at Shriners are my angels."