11-year-old boy seeks life-saving treatment in the U.S.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - 11-year-old Jose Alfredo started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after emergency surgery in Mexicali, and his family claims doctors told them there wasn’t anything they could do to help treat him. 

Several people travel from the United States to Mexico to get access to cheaper, lifesaving medicines and healthcare. But for Alfredo, he had to go to the U.S. to receive lifesaving healthcare. His family says doctors in Mexico couldn’t provide.

It started when Alfredo was undergoing emergency surgery in Mexicali after developing appendicitis. After two weeks, he was supposed to be recovered but was only getting worse. 

Alfredo’s sister, Carla Torres, says he had seizures every day, and doctors in Mexico couldn’t tell their family why. Until finally, it was determined that other symptoms Alfredo had resembled those of COVID-19.

Torres says doctors told her family they didn’t have the resources to help her brother, and if not treated, he could die.

That’s when Torres convinced her mother to send Alfredo to the U.S. with her, where she could take him to get treated at a Phoenix-area hospital.

Alfredo has a visa and was able to cross the border with a 30-day essential travel pass because he was sick.

Once arriving at the hospital, doctors determined Alfredo had COVID-19 and MIS-C.

After spending a few weeks in the hospital, Alfredo finally started to get better. He is on several medications and has to perform exercises daily to continue to get better.

Meanwhile, Alfredo is learning English to prepare for when he finally becomes a U.S. citizen.