‘Life’ to the Full: Julio’s Story of Loss, Love, and Strength

‘Life’ to the Full: Julio’s Story of Loss, Love, and Strength

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“LIFE! LIFE!” little Julio exclaimed gleefully from the window of his family home in Guatemala City, spotting his father walking up the street. “LIFE! LIFE!” Mr. Julio shouted back with a smile. This was their daily ritual.

Every afternoon, Julio waited by the window, watching for his dad to appear on his way home from work. They called each other their "Life”— a nickname reflective of their deep bond.

But when Julio was just six, his world shattered. His father was diagnosed with cancer, and Julio watched helplessly as his “Life” faded.

 Seeing his dad in bed, surrounded by IVs and oxygen, remains a heart-wrenching image etched into Julio’s memory. Being so young, he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

After his father’s passing, Julio would still wait by the window, longing for his dad to come home.

“My life is gone,” he would say. 

Julio and his mother, Norma, were heartbroken. But life kept moving; they had to find a way to put food on the table.

Norma went back to work full-time, while her sister, Beatriz, cared for Julio during the day.

Then ten years later, tragedy struck again when Julio’s mother, Norma, passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic. When Norma was dying, Beatriz made a promise to her sister that she would take care of Julio. A promise she has kept, taking on the role of Julio’s caregiver and mother figure.

“We all got sick, and I lost two sisters…For me, it was a hard blow, and for Julito, it was twice as hard... because he had already lived [through] an experience and now his mother went to heaven,” Beatriz said.

Though her heart was breaking, Beatriz stayed strong for Julio. She later admitted, “It’s a very hard situation, because you have to harden your heart and keep your tears to yourself so that he feels you are strong. Because if you fall, he falls along with you.”

Privately, though, she wrestled with grief, asking through tears:

“Why for a child so full of love, so innocent, so much pain?... I was upset with God, but at the same time, I knelt down and asked Him for forgiveness because who am I to judge the dimension and power of the Lord and His decisions?”

She still didn’t understand the whys, but she came to believe that she had survived COVID-19 for a reason.

“He [God] had a purpose for me, and that is for me to be with my Julito…I thank God for having given me this opportunity to be Julito’s mother. I ask God every day for a blessing and more health and life to spend more time with him, so that he never feels another pain again.” 

In Beatriz, Julio found a source of strength, love, and unwavering faith.

“I love [my] aunt very much. My aunt is beautiful. She is precious. I’m going to give her lots of hugs and lots of kisses. I love her with my heart here always,” he said, beaming.

Raising a child with Down syndrome in Guatemala is not easy. Children with disabilities in Guatemala are often seen as less than and looked down upon, and even sometimes hidden away. Families impacted by disability often receive no training and lack access to resources, therapies, and support. Caregivers are often left to carry the full weight—alone.

Thankfully, though, unlike so many caregivers in Guatemala, Beatriz was not alone when Norma passed away. Julio was already connected to Tebow Down Guatemala (TDG), where he was receiving schooling, therapies, and familial support in a Christ-centered environment. That was a tremendous grace amid heartbreak.

In the hardest season of his life, Julio had a school community that loved him, encouraged him, and helped him process his grief. Teachers and classmates rallied around him, while Beatriz found comfort in knowing she had the support of the Tebow Down Guatemala community and wouldn’t be navigating the path alone.

“I am proud of Julito. He reads, he writes, he participates in athletics. He is a leader. I dream that God has great purposes for him…to see him in a big position, explaining to the world his life,” Beatriz said.

In addition to walking alongside them during this hard time, TDG lifted a heavy financial burden by providing Julio with a full scholarship. Beatriz says this was a Godsend: “I thank God and you [TTF Family] for the great blessing…We are so grateful for the help we’ve received in all we have been through.”

Through Beatriz, the Tebow Down Guatemala community, and the generous support of our TTF giving family, God ensured that, although he lost his parents, Julio would never face life alone.

Today, Julio has grown into a resilient, kind, and joyful young man who brightens every room he enters. With his charismatic personality and overflowing love, you’d never know the immense loss he’s endured. While he still grieves the loss of his parents, he embraces each day as a gift—an opportunity to live life to the full, just as Jesus promises in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 

Julio is a beautiful example of what it looks like to live abundantly in Christ, no matter the circumstances.

“It still hurts him, because sometimes he says, ‘Life is no longer with me,’” Beatriz explained. “One day, I told him there was no ladder tall enough for him to climb down, but that he would always be his ‘Life’ even if he couldn’t be physically here with him. But from heaven, he’s always watching him here on earth.” 

We can’t help but think that Mr. Julio is looking down with awe, marveling at the love, joy, and light that his son—his “Life”—now carries.

Thank you, TTF Giving Family, for helping make stories like Julio’s possible by bringing Faith, Hope and Love to some of the world’s Most Vulnerable People!  

1 Corinthians 13:13— “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 

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