Doctors join their calling to save Anyoli’s life
Anyoli January Castillo, 14, left her home in the village of Las Flores with a small bag and a heavy fear: rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer near her right eye. She traveled to Santa Rosa de Copán with her father, clinging to the hope they found in CAMO.
Her father, Joel Alexander Castillo Melgar, accompanied her with unshaken faith, despite the enormous financial challenges they faced. For over a year, they fought to get a clear diagnosis. But the only way to save Anyoli required a complex surgery that could only be performed by a team with expertise in neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and maxillofacial surgery — a nearly impossible combination to find in the Honduran public health system.
But at CAMO and the Hospital de Occidente, the impossible became possible.
Thanks to the dedication and generosity of three volunteer doctors — Dr. Héctor Robles (ophthalmologist), Dr. Roberto Álvarez (neurosurgeon), and Dr. Javier Pérez (maxillofacial surgeon) — along with a multidisciplinary team from the Hospital de Occidente, a highly complex craniofacial surgery was successfully performed.“We had the privilege of working together across three specialties to carry out a full resection of the tumor. It was a complex operation, but we succeeded in removing the cancer,” shared Dr. Álvarez.
The surgery also marked an innovation for the region. A custom prosthesis was 3D-printed in Santa Rosa de Copán using a special resin to reconstruct Anyoli’s eye socket, eyelid, and part of her face.
“We didn’t just treat the tumor — we preserved the aesthetic side of this young girl. CAMO made this surgery possible through its specialized programs and access to both technology and skilled professionals,” added Dr. Álvarez, who also thanked the pediatric team at the Hospital de Occidente.
Twenty-one days after the operation, Anyoli returned to CAMO for a post-operative evaluation. Her smile and the light in her eyes said it all: renewed hope.
Today, Anyoli continues with her oncology treatment, walking a new path thanks to solidarity and teamwork. She hasn’t yet chosen a life goal, but dreams of becoming a chef someday.