Since 2019, RMH Pasadena has been a home away from home for the Montano family as they return year after year, holding onto the hope that each new prosthesis brings Aitana one step closer to walking on her own.
When Dulce learned she was pregnant with her second child, she was overwhelmed. Raising their four-year-old daughter already required every ounce of energy and every dollar she and her husband could earn. Another baby had never been part of the plan.
At first, fear overshadowed any excitement. But as the months passed, Dulce and her husband slowly embraced the idea of expanding their family. They dreamed about their future, debated baby names, and looked forward to meeting their child. Every prenatal appointment brought reassuring news. Doctors repeatedly told them that their baby was healthy.
For nine months, everything seemed perfect.
Then, on January 28, 2018, everything changed.
After a long and painful labor, Dulce waited to hear her newborn daughter's first cry. Instead, the room fell silent.
She watched as doctors exchanged worried glances. One approached her bedside and asked, "What did they tell you during the pregnancy? Did they mention anything?"
Confused, Dulce replied, "No. They said everything was fine."
Then came the words that shattered her world.
“Your baby has a malformation.”
In an instant, every dream she had imagined for her daughter felt uncertain. Doctors explained that Aitana had been born without legs and with malformed hands. Dulce could barely process what she was hearing.
Finding medical care was a devastating obstacle. Specialists were scarce, and the few hospitals that could help were far beyond the family's financial reach. Still, Dulce refused to give up.
"I was willing to go anywhere in the world if it meant helping my daughter."
Eventually, after endless searching, she found a hospital in Pasadena that could provide the care Aitana needed. For the first time since Aitana's birth, Dulce felt a flicker of hope. But hope came with painful sacrifices.
The hospital was twelve hours away from home, in a country where they didn't speak the language and knew no one. Seeking treatment meant leaving behind Aitana's father and older sister for months at a time.
"Separating our family was heartbreaking," Dulce said. "But we knew every sacrifice was worth it for her."
In 2019, Dulce and Aitana made their first journey to Pasadena expecting to receive Aitana's first prosthetic legs. Instead, doctors discovered another serious condition: hip dysplasia.
Not only was Aitana facing a major operation, but they suddenly had nowhere to stay. Their plans to return home that same day disappeared.
"I began to panic," Dulce recalled. "I cried and trembled because I didn't know what we were going to do."
Then they were referred to Ronald McDonald House Pasadena.
When Dulce entered her room for the first time, the weight she had been carrying finally broke free.
"I lay down on the bed and cried," she said. "For the first time, I knew we would have a place to stay. I knew I wouldn't have to face this alone."
For seven hours, Dulce waited outside the operating room, wondering if her daughter would be okay. Every minute felt endless. After the surgery was successfully done, Aitana and Dulce settled into Ronald McDonald House Pasadena for what would become a 74-day stay.
When it was finally time to leave, saying goodbye was unexpectedly difficult.
"That room saw my tears, my sleepless nights, and my happiest moments. It became part of our story."
After a long, difficult journey, Dulce and Aitana were finally home, reunited with their loved ones, when tragedy struck again. Aitana was involved in a serious car accident that left her with a broken femur, creating new complications, and leading to additional surgeries and years of recovery.
Seven years later, Aitana has overcome more than anyone thought possible. “Her strength is contagious,” shared Dulce. “She’s like the sun. She’s always smiling, she gives you energy, she makes you want to live. If she can do it, so can I.”
As they continue down a road they never expected to travel, the Montano family carries both hope and heartache with them—the hope of seeing Aitana reach new milestones, and the heartache of knowing how much she has already endured just for the chance to stand on her own two feet.
