Víctor Serrano Hidalgo lost his legs at the age of four, but he never lost his willingness to help. He is now giving aid to the victims of the earthquake that hit Mexico on September 19.
Since that day, he comes and goes between Mexico City’s and Morelos’ devastated zones. He helped clearing of rubble in the Condesa neighborhood (one of the most affected) along side his cousins, María Fernanda Fraustro and Michele Paredes.
Víctor answers people’s questions with enthusiasm: “Why do I do it with my condition? Because I’ve never been limited to do what I want, and I believe that anything you can do, no matter how small, can help this city and our country get through this emergency.”
His gear is a must in his efforts, and he is very much aware of that. He wears a helmet with his name in the front, face mask, gloves, and a green fluorescent vest.
Víctor knows that safety and having the appropriate gear is very important because he’s been helping out on other sites that were affected by the natural disaster. He has traveled with his cousins to the town of Jojutla, Morelos, which suffered the most amount of damage due to the quake.
He travels in his white van, which he affectionately calls La Blanquita, to deliver much needed supplies to communities that don’t get as much help as Mexico City. He also helps with rubble clearing efforts over there.
When Víctor was four years old, he was diagnosed with a disease known as purpura fulminans, which literally means “it coagulates blood”. Because of this, his doctors had to amputate his legs to save his life, as the illness could’ve gotten much worse.
In an interview, he stated that his life as not been easy, but he doesn’t limit himself either. On an emergency situation like the one in Mexico, he first took to the streets to gather money and supplies and distributed the goods between those who needed them the most.
“We all have to help,” he stated, “no one can deal by themselves with a situation like this one, mostly when reconstruction time comes.” Víctor hopes that if he can help, all of society can too.
According to one of her cousins, someone gave Víctor a wheelchair once, but he refused it because he felt “useless”, so he donated it to another person who needed it more than him. He prefers to move around with his arms or skateboard.