Tucson high schoolers go to Peru to help patients in need: 'It was really emotional'

Eight Desert View High School students traveled to Peru to make modern miracles happen for those in need.

The students, accompanied by two teachers, went to Peru in late January to outfit those in need with prosthetic legs designed and built in Desert View’s classrooms in the school at 4101 E. Valencia Road.

People came from Peru and beyond, some driving through the night to get to the church Las Assemblas De Dios De Peru, where the students themselves would determine whether the amputee was a good fit for their classroom-constructed legs.

One man had been hit by a car, losing a leg. For a decade, the man was supported by crutches — until the Desert View students outfitted him with one of their prosthetics.

He tossed the crutches aside and began to stand on his own two feet, albeit unsteadily at first, recalled teacher Cesar Gutierrez, who teaches precision manufacturing and drafting at Desert View.

Gutierrez was one of the two teachers who shepherded the group through the coastal South American nation’s capital, Lima.

“We’re having fun or eating. You’re taking in some of the sights. And then all of a sudden, you’re at the church, and you have 100 people there,” Gutierrez said. “You have absolutely no idea what you’re about to do for eight hours.”

Lucy Pacheco, a Desert View senior, was one of the eight students who traveled to Peru.

“Flyers were sent out saying that we’re going to be there certain days, if anyone is missing a leg, and those I think wouldn’t be able to afford one. They could come see us and see if maybe our product works for them,” Pacheco explained.

“Nothing can prepare you for what was coming in that day,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t think there’s anything that we can do that can replicate the feeling — the emotion — to prepare a student for what they’re about to go do.”

Pacheco said the task was a fulfilling but sometimes emotionally taxing experience.

“We got to know the (amputee) on a personal level. What were their, like jobs before? What happened?

“There were some times that we had to turn away people because they were actually cut below the knee,” she said. “Our products only help people, could only be fitted with (a) cut above the knee. It was really emotional, seeing the hardship that they were going through and not being able to provide the service for everyone.”

In October 2023, the students were supposed to travel to Guatemala on the humanitarian trip until political unrest in the Central American nation put their trip on pause.

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Gutierrez was determined to make the trip happen. He had been thinking for a long time about making a travel opportunity for his students like no other.

“During this trip, our students would have the chance to see first-hand the power of creating change,” he said. “They would be able to witness the difference they can make in someone’s life by actively participating in various activities.”

Creating change started with creating in the classroom. Computer-aided drafting (CAD) students designed prosthetic legs according to specific dimensions and composition.

Precision manufacturing students then take on the next step: taking the legs from screen to reality. Students run machinery — even writing the machinery’s coding — to make the prosthetic legs. 3D printers play an important role in manufacturing the lower leg parts.

Gutierrez found out about digitally printed prosthetic limbs at a Harbor Freight Tools for Schools conference.

Eventually, the class connected with the SKY Youth organization’s Life Changer Prosthetics program.

The trip, which cost about $10,000 total, Gutierrez said, was a collaboration between CTE (Sunnyside School District Career and Technical Education), The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Foundation, and the Istem Academy Business.

The students were specifically selected from the school’s precision manufacturing and drafting classes where the legs are designed and built.

Participants were selected based on grades and character, Gutierrez said.

Santino Rodriquez, a senior, was one of the students. As the plane descended, settling among the Peruvian mountains, his feelings kicked in.

“It kind of felt like going on a roller coaster or waiting in line for it,” he said. “I just had no idea what to expect, just all these emotions. I was super excited … nervous at the same time. Everything.”

Gutierrez said the trip was meant to help students “connect the dots and understand the impact they can have on someone’s life.”

“Exposing our students to such experiences, we can instill in them a sense of empathy and a desire to contribute positively to society.”