Gabriel Vicente García Rincón was born in Caracas on June 26 of 1985. It was a great day for the family since he was our first son and at the same time the first grandchildren in the Rincon Castillo family. He came to the world after three years of our marriage. When born Gabriel Vicente weighted 3 kilos and 330 grams and measured 52 centimeters. He was a spectacular child with an abundant black hair. Our baby represented a gift that God had sent to fill our household with happiness and joyfulness.

When the pediatrician approached to greet us, he said that he had examined our baby and he wanted to congratulate us because he was a healthy child, but had a minor detail. Gabriel Vicente presented a skin malformation in the upper part of both legs and in the chest. The physicians did not know the cause of these anomalies, and they asked for our permission to take a small skin sample to perform a biopsy. Given the conditions presented when born, Gabriel Vicente stayed in the hospital under observation. During those days we visited him daily, bringing him the needed motherly milk. Finally, seven days later, he was released from the hospital and with much joy and happiness we brought him to his grandparents’ house, since at that time our residence was in another city called Judibana.

During those first weeks, we were afraid and concerned about the malformations that Gabriel Vicente presented in his legs and chest. According to the physicians, the size of these lesions on his skin would become progressively smaller with time. However, deep inside, we were not convinced and could not avoid thinking that our son could have something serious, but we did not want to alarm anybody with our worries.

On August the 3rd of 1985 he was baptized and we offered his life to God. We prayed endlessly for him to be able to grow healthy and strong, that nothing could deprive us from the happiness and contentment he had brought to our lives. It was a wonderful day and we celebrated it with a great party. We felt very proud and happy with our baby. Our life seemed to be perfect, what else could we ask from God if he already had given us the biggest gift of all.

Our son was growing in an environment filled with love and tenderness. Each day he surprised us with new gestures, was able to recognize us when we spoke to him, laughed a lot and cried furiously when hungry. He was growing little by little while we contemplated his progress with amazement. There were only three months filled with that happiness and delight. And then the long and painful chain of events that followed just got started, and our lives changed forever…

Towards the end of September of 1985 Gabriel Vicente began to be very irritable, he was weeping constantly and there was pain in his crying. We discovered that he complained upon moving his right leg and noticed that some red bruises had appeared on it, also his toes were a little cold. He was admitted into a local hospital for several days, treated with antibiotics, and released without problems. However, only a week later, Gabriel Vicente presented the same symptoms again. After being with him for a month visiting several physicians and hospitals, we took him to the Medical Center in Caracas where he was admitted into the intensive cares unit.

Here the physicians were surprised when they found out that our son had a malformation in the circulatory system. He presented an overgrowth of the internal walls of veins and arteries, which hindered the free flow of blood. As a consequence he suffered from hypertension, a condition that he may have sustained since he was in the gestation stage. The physicians performed a catheter analysis through one of his arteries, and we were astonished when viewing the results in a film. There was no medical or scientific explanation about the cause of our son’s disease, and that is still an enigma.

Not much was known about this disease at that time. There was no bibliography or similar cases reported within the scientific community. The physicians could not do much to help him. For the first time his life was in serious danger… The physicians started applying an experimental treatment to control the hypertension, which represented the most critical condition his body was subject to.

Towards the end of December of 1985, and being only 6 months old, Gabriel Vicente had already lost his two legs. Since both lower extremities were not getting enough blood to assure a healthy development, the only alternative the physicians had to save his life was to amputate them.

Since the surgeries, the healing of his wounded scars lasted exactly one year. It was a hard and extremely difficult year for the whole family, and especially for our son. Due to the multiple times that the wounds were infected, both stumps had to be amputated again, so our son ended practically disjoined at the hip level. During all that year Gabriel Vicente was subject to daily cures and was under an antibiotic treatment. Most of the time these cures had to be applied three times a day, and they were extremely painful. As a consequence our son was very weak, and suffered from irritability due to the physical pain he had to sustain.

Despite that it was a very difficult year for all, we noticed in Gabriel Vicente a determined will to survive which characterized his inner strength. Our son was facing an unknown and incurable disease, and yet he was fighting as a warrior and never gave up.

Once his wounds healed in December of 1986, Gabriel Vicente was able to stabilize his physical and emotional conditions with the help of a professional team, which included occupational, speech and physical therapists, as well as psychologists. They all work hard to assure his complete recovery. His daily sessions began early and required an arduous and much disciplined work. A whole year went bye requiring a lot of dedication from our side. But he was our priority and we wanted to help him to get well.

All that effort allowed him to grow stronger and in November of 1987, just two years after the amputations, Gabriel Vicente received his first prosthesis from the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital in Caracas. This prosthesis was quite rudimentary but very stable and ingenious, using it he gave his first steps.
Later in July of 1988 a second set of prosthesis was built. This set in comparison with the previous one was much higher, had shoes and allowed him to be sat. In a short period of time our son was able to handle them with success, and learned to travel long spans with the aid of a walker.

Against all medical prognoses Gabriel Vicente defeated the expectations and arrived to his three years of age. He was able then to begin his scholastic activity as any other child his age. From the first moment he adapted without problems, participated in all the activities, and demonstrated that his physical limitations were not an obstacle for his personal development.

At the beginning of 1989 we decided to seek other alternatives to treat his disease. We wrote then to organizations in the United States of America in search of more advanced technologies. Since a considerable amount of money was required for his treatment we founded the GAVIGAR Foundation (Gabriel Vicente García Rincón), and thanks to the contributions from many people and institutions this project was possible.

In August of 1989 we left Caracas filled with hope and established ourselves in Norman, Oklahoma. Immediately our son was admitted in a small school, where he initiated a new stage of his life. There we found a very friendly environment and many people wanted to help us. Simultaneously he began a rehabilitation program, designed to teach and support him in the use of his future prosthesis. Every day after school he attended swimming lessons and physical therapy. Although Gabriel Vicente did not master the english language, this was not an impediment for him to communicate with others. Our priority was to make sure that all the available opportunities were offered to our son.

In August of 1990 he received his third and last prosthesis as well as his wheelchair. This set of prosthesis was more complex because it allowed an independent movement of each leg. In less than a week of training we witnessed our great dream became true, when we saw him walking happily and proudly all over the corridors of the hospital. Gabriel Vicente impressed everybody with his happiness and determined will, and he always had a smile to give to others. At all times he showed a lot of self-confidence, and had an immense desire to overcome every obstacle in order to stay among us.

This happiness did not last long, in September our son presented some new problem. The pressure imposed by the prosthesis on his stumps created him an internal injury, which got infected and required of several operations in the course of the following year. When at the end of 1991 this long infectious process finally ended, his physician suggested that we should not insist in trying the prosthesis at that time, and strongly recommended that we should learn to accept our son as he was.

Although since January of 1987 helping Gabriel Vicente to walk had been our main objective, the decision to put aside the prosthesis represented a great relief and we began to live in a different way. For the first time the pressure in our lives decreased; there was no more rushing every day to get on time to the therapies, neither we had to maintain an exercise routine for Gabriel Vicente. As a result, we had free time to play, travel and plan leisure activities. We learned to live one day at a time, enjoying with our son what life had to offer. Our years in Norman were very happy despite the mentioned problems and the continuos advance of his disease. With his attitude, Gabriel Vicente demonstrated to be a happy child with no complexes of any kind.

In June of 1992, when Gabriel Vicente was 7 years old, we had to return to Caracas and he was admitted into a school named Los Arcos. We were sure once more that he would demonstrate to everybody that "you can do it", if there is a strong will and desire to succeed. Then, the most significant stage of his life began.

Since his first day at school our son demonstrated that his physical limitations did not make him less worthy than others. He made an extra effort to comply with all his duties at school and never liked others to treat him as a special child, he wanted to be treated like any other kid his age. He participated in all the extra academic activities arranged by the school, and soon was recognized as an exemplary pupil. Gabriel Vicente earned the admiration and respect of his classmates and always had a smile to share. This was a gesture that had characterized him through all these years.

Gabriel Vicente always accepted his physical limitations and never complained about having to depend on a wheelchair, neither he felt less than other kids. We constantly emphasized to him the virtues and qualities he had. His attitude towards life was remarkable and transmitted us much peace and serenity. He had a great personality, was extroverted, happy and very affectionate. He definitely was a special child, and made us special too. His faith in God and the Virgin Mary was grand, he prayed daily and asked for God’s grace to improve his health so he could continue among us. Those were difficult years filled with many problems, due to unexpected emergencies that frequently appeared, but Gabriel Vicente’s will was very determinative. We helped him in any possible way and were admired of the strength and resolution he had to fight his disease and go on with his life.

During this period Gabriel Vicente demonstrated to have numerous virtues. He was very disciplined and responsible and also a good friend, a quality which rewarded him by always having people around willing to help him. He was generous, honest, loyal with his family and friends, very transparent with his feelings and always offered his help. He did not like to lie neither to be told lies, he preferred to face the truth no matter how difficult it could be. He always did speak out his mind making sure not to hurt other’s feelings with his comments. He had a strong character and always defended his points of view, especially if he considered a proposition to be wrong. Many people asked his advice and they were surprised to find such a spontaneity and wisdom in a young kid.

His first school year was excellent. He participated in many activities with great enthusiasm and was happy to be able to contribute during the events. That year he paraded with his classmates in the inaugural act for the AYSE Olympiads, and enjoyed a lot encouraging his classmates and closer friends in the sport events. He liked attending outdoor activities organized by the school and always shared with teachers and friends. He also was associated to the school’s musical group, and showed us that music was part of his life. This activity brought a lot of joy and satisfaction to him. Learning to play the flute is regarded by us as one of the most meaningful experiences of his life, and we still recall these moments with great happiness.

On May 22 of 1994, while studying second grade of primary school, Gabriel Vicente had his First Communion. During the previous months he met the priest Rafael Ortega, who along with his teachers helped to prepare him to receive this sacrament. It was a very important event for the whole family. Through the years, and in silence, we had prayed to God for allowing him to live long enough to be able to receive his First Communion. God listened to our prayers and that beautiful day He satisfied our great desire that meant so much to us. Without doubt, that day represented for Gabriel Vicente the happiest day of his life. The smile that he had on his face is still engraved in our hearts. Once again, God manifested his presence among us.

Gabriel Vicente focused his energy in the activities he was able to achieve and that where within his reach. He maintained a positive attitude towards his problems and difficulties, and learned to live his life one day at a time, without getting despaired or anticipating the facts. We always noticed within him a strong will and a struggle spirit. We never treated him with pity neither we allowed other people to feel sorry for him. He was always treated as a normal child and we were very demanding with him, and therefore, he also set high goals for himself.

The road we traveled together was never easy for any of us. There were many obscure nights where we did not know if our son would make it to the next day. There were many sacrifices to make and many worries to face; we shared many tears... We lived in constant fear since our son’s life was uncertain and he had to deal with both physical and emotional pain. However, we were surprised because he always faced this situation with happiness and faith. His attitude was an inspiration to us and gave us the needed strength to continue and not to be discouraged.

In several opportunities death knocked at our door. It was unreal how he was able to recover from situations when everybody though his life was ending. But God had decided it already, Gabriel Vicente would remain with us until his mission had been fulfilled. During most of his life he fought while having a fragile health. In many occasions he felt decayed and without strength. He suffered of headaches and sweated profusely due to the hypertension, which was continuously controlled with medication. As a result, this situation created a limited blood irrigation to some parts of his body, mainly the stumps, his right arm and the intestines. In spite of his serious condition, Gabriel Vicente was very responsible and always completed his homework. He never used his disease as an excuse.

His physical condition started to decay rapidly towards the end of 1995, when he presented problems with the digestive system. He suffered from abdominal pain due to the lack of blood irrigation in the intestines, and was not able to adequately process or retain what he ate. As a consequence, he required to use the bathroom quite frequently. In addition, the skin surrounding the areas where the amputations had taken place was very fragile, due to so many surgeries performed through the years, which favored the appearance of new ulcers, some of them very large. This event brought us back to the process of daily cures we went through when he was a baby. The cures were moments of much suffering and distress for Gabriel Vicente.

We ourselves took care of the cures he required, but some medicaments used produced immense pain. His desperate cries of pain and anguish still sound loud in our ears. Gabriel Vicente´s suffering represented to us the worse "martyrdom" that any person could experience in life. In spite of being extremely careful when cleaning his wounds, and knowing that Gabriel Vicente understood that these processes were necessary, it was very difficult to comprehend how could we kept telling him "we love you so much Gordito" and at the same time causing such an extreme pain on him. In several occasions an artery broke and he was at serious risk of bleeding to death, but thanks to God this always happened when one of us was present. We searched every scientific method and tried every available treatment, but it was impossible to cure his ulcers and the injured tissue never form a scar, so his wounds remained open until his death.

In spite of his critical condition Gabriel Vicente continued with his studies. He decided to stay near his classmates to keep sharing the wonderful and intense experiences he lived through the past years in the school. Thus, with much sacrifice and effort he was able to finish his fourth grade, and in October of 1996 he received the academic excellence award as the best student from all fourth grade sections. Only his family knew how much effort it represented for him to achieve that goal, and that day everybody present at the school celebrated with happiness.

Although his health was rapidly deteriorating, Gabriel Vicente dreamed to return to school and begin his fifth grade. We hoped that he would be able to do it and with God’s help he did. However, towards the end of 1996, two months after being back in school, the circulatory problems in his right arm worsen. The same red bruises once present on his legs were now noticeable on his right arm, indicating that his upper extremities were at risk. Our son was in pain and complained of cramps on his fingers. To alleviate him we rubbed his arm and applied warm pads. In short he was unable to move his hand at will, to the point that it was almost impossible for him to write. To stay in school during regular class hours became very hard for Gabriel Vicente, he returned home exhausted with no strength left. The fatigue was defeating him and in many occasions before even having lunch, he went directly to bed and stay there with no desires to continue…

He began to attend school just for a few hours a day, with the hope that he would get better and be able to return to his regular schedule. At that time we copied the assigned homework on a piece of paper, since he could hardly move his right hand. He then solved the questions and told us the answers that had to be written on his notebook. He had all his tests in verbal form. At one point he tried to use his left hand, but it demanded too much time and effort from him. Gabriel Vicente never accepted to be treated differently, so it became extremely difficult for him to be limited in his academic tasks, and his deteriorated health finally forced us to withdraw him from school. It was a very difficult and sad decision for us, for the first time we felt like giving up and being defeated by his disease. However, Gabriel Vicente had already given the best of himself through all these years. His mission had been fulfilled…

In December of 1996 we decided to have a big celebration. In spite of our son’s physical deterioration, and our sadness for his condition, we had a presentiment that this would be his last Christmas. We were distressed and wondered if he would ever regain his strength, as he did so many times before. But his health had reached the most delicate stage and his decay was evident... Our relatives and friends joined showing us their support and solidarity. We remember his last Christmas with happiness, knowing how much Gabriel Vicente enjoyed those days. He welcomed the new year setting off fire works along with his family. We always kept hope for seeing the recovery of our son.

From January of 1997 the relationship between us got closer than ever. Gabriel Vicente spent every day laying down on his bed, and very seldom leaving his room. He had no strength left and was afraid to be left by himself. During the day a family member accompanied him and at night we alternated to sleep with him. Days and weeks went by and the situation was rapidly degenerating. Gabriel Vicente did not sleep much, was in constant pain and refused to eat most of the time. Once he told me that he did not want to eat because then he would have to go to the bathroom, and he did not want to bother me so much. All I wanted was my son to feel better, and I told him that he did not bother me, and that I would take care of all his needs for as long as I was alive.

He cried begging for drugs that could alleviate his pain. We knew there was not much we could do, but we tried our best to lessen his suffering. We rubbed his right arm and hand, applied warm pads and lotions, but nothing would calm him. We remained by his side trying to encourage him, but under those conditions it was almost impossible.

He spoke about death but we never could confront that though, and evaded the topic just saying to him that everybody would die sooner or later. We told him that death was in God’s hands and we had no way to know when it would happen to us. This situation created an immense sadness and an unbearable pain for the entire family. Everyone tried to encourage Gabriel Vicente and to support us, we were discouraged and prayed much to God pleading to fulfill his will and to have mercy. We decided to give him stronger drugs to alleviate his pain. His right arm was almost dehydrated, his fingers were cold and immobile. Gabriel Vicente was conscious of the process he was going through and asked in several occasions if he would also lose his arm.

Nights became longer and days were endless. We tried to enjoy each day even under those circumstances and every day with our son was a gift, an extra 24 hours that God had provided. Nobody knew how much longer we would be together. We spent some time watching baseball games on television since Gabriel Vicente felt a great passion for this sport. We talked during long hours and remembered happy moments that we had shared in the past. We kissed him constantly, reminding him of the great love we felt for him. We emphasized to him that he was a special child, our "Child Jesus" that God had sent to bless our household.

We often mentioned how proud we were of him and all his achievements. We asked his forgiveness for all the mistakes we made, for our lack of patience and for loosing control when facing his pain and suffering, because he required the daily cures until the last day of his life. We cried together, our tears showed how much we loved him and we hoped he could understand that we were not to blame for what had happened to him. We suffered great pain seeing him under such deplorable condition, and supplicated to God to take him so he could finally rest in peace. We prayed with much faith while holding our hands, and implored God to have mercy and clemency for our son’s pain. We feared the end was coming.

Many relatives and friends manifested their support to us and our son. Visits and phone calls were received daily, and everybody had words of encouragement. Even under such health conditions, Gabriel Vicente always tried to offer a smile to everyone who visited him. His strength was an example to follow and a source of inspiration for every adult and children who witnessed his daily struggle.

During his last days he received many beautiful letters from his classmates and he was able to smile again. His friends wished for his recovery and they expected him to be back in school very soon. This was a lovely and meaningful gesture for the family. Gabriel Vicente was disappointed with us because we did not allowed his friends in the bedroom, and nowadays we do regret that decision but his physical aspect was impressive. He was very thin, the bones were clearly noticeable under the fragile skin and his body was filled with bruises from lack of blood irrigation. Even a touch caused him discomfort so we had to be extremely careful when moving him. The situation was unbearable, our son was dying and nobody could do anything about it.

Three days previous to his death, Gabriel Vicente received the visit of Father Rafael Ortega, who confess him and also applied the Unction of the Sick. Gabriel Vicente was conscious at all times and understood the meaning of those sacraments. That day he also received his last sacred communion. It was an extremely emotional moment for everyone present. He observed us with shame since he knew the pain we were feeling. As the good Christian he was, he accepted his destiny with deep humility and resignation. He knew with extreme clarity that his end was near, and that very soon he would no longer be with us.

Finally, before dawn on April 21 of 1997, Gabriel Vicente heard God’s call asking him to rise to heaven so he could be at His side. By midnight he had already awaken me and communicated that God was calling him, that it was his time to go to heaven. Those words are clearly engraved in my mind. Our son wanted to say goodbye before living us. His last hour had arrived.

We stayed by his side trying to calm him. At one point I told him “son you are already exhausted and so are we, I believe this is the best for you, go in peace with God”. But the next minute we insisted upon him not to give up, to continue fighting, to hope for a new dawn when he would feel better... However, he insisted over and over that he was going to die and implored us to realize this difficult truth. At 4:30 a.m. that morning Gabriel Vicente died. With a look of amazement and his eyes fixed on our faces, he departed and there was nothing we could do to avoid it…

Gabriel Vicente had told us in advance the details of his death but at that time we did not pay much attention, since until the last minute we refused to believe that his moment had arrived. Perhaps he wanted us to be prepared. But nobody can be prepared to lose a beloved one, even when that death could be expected with anticipation. Those last minutes will always remain in our memory. That day, after almost twelve years of struggle facing a cruel and incurable disease, Gabriel Vicente's pain, suffering, uncertainties and sacrifices were finally left behind...

We are convinced that Gabriel Vicente was an instrument of God, that he came to the world to teach us the real meaning of life. He "lived" and was happy thanks to his faith in God and his strong desire to keep fighting in spite of all the difficulties. God’s hand and the Virgin Mary were always present in his life. We never lost our hope of seeing our son reach his adulthood. His life was short but it was meaningful, filled with love, accomplishments and many satisfactions... Gabriel Vicente always faced life with happiness, offering his best smile. He gave us the greatest happiness a son can provide, and we would not change today the events we lived for nothing in the world... We are grateful to God for choosing us to fulfill such an important mission.