Romina Páez buried her parents and suddenly became the only adult responsible for seven siblings.
Seven siblings who live with Friedreich’s ataxia, a genetic disease that gradually attacks balance, muscles, and the heart, and for which there is currently no cure. Most people who suffer from it need a wheelchair within 15 years of the first symptom. Romina knows this by heart because she lives it every day: she has only one borrowed wheelchair to share among several bodies that need it at the same time.
She was a teacher. She taught while carrying an entire household on her shoulders, until she also lost that job. No benefit covers what she does without hours or pay: bathing, feeding, transporting, and calming the fear of seven people who depend on her hands. She asked for no applause, only time and help so she would not collapse. And yet, every morning, she gets up again for them.