Odilia Beat The Odds As A Child; Soon She'll Be Walking A Runway In A Red Dress

As a 5-year-old settling into a temporary home, Odilia Cristabel Flores made friends right away. Bonding with kids was easy. Her spunky personality quickly won over adults, too. Everyone laughed as she rode through hallways on a skateboard, steering from her knees. Her popularity went up a notch when she became the first person on the floor with a TV. Sometimes the gatekeepers wouldn't let Odilia visit her new pals. She often ignored the rules, sneaking in and staying for as long as she could. When caught and sent to her room, she got even by breaking things made of glass. Thermometers, mostly. You see, Odilia's new home was the cardiac unit of a hospital in Guatemala. She spent a month there leading up to a risky operation, one that could've taken her life ... and did claim several of those children and adults she befriended. That's why she sometimes was told to stay away. "I'd ask, `Where's so-and-so? Why aren't they here to play with me?'" Odilia said. "It was after the first couple of people didn't make it that I realized what was happening." Fast forward 34 years and Odilia is still spunky, curious and adventurous. Perhaps the biggest difference from her 5-year-old self is that she's no longer slowed by a hole in her heart and the many problems it caused. The reminder is a chest scar that's puffier than most because of an infection during recovery. While she proudly displays the scar at the beach, it's covered at work. That's why she went more than 10 years at Mac...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news