SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - An 18-year-old Venezuela earthquake survivor has received life-saving skin grafts, made possible in part by donations from ABC 10News viewers following an earlier report on his family's ordeal.
Diego Ramirez was in a 2nd-floor home of a 9-story apartment complex in Playa Grande, outside Caracas, when a June earthquake caused it to collapse.
"I feel everything shaking too hard," Ramirez said.
He fell through the floor and was trapped in the rubble for 10 hours before rescuers pulled him out.
"I was telling myself you will survive, and I was trying to calm myself down, because I want to survive," Ramirez said.
Ramirez suffered 3 spinal fractures. His right leg, trapped for 10 hours, was nearly lost but saved by a procedure that left an open incision requiring a skin graft to close the wound. The skin grafts are in short supply in Venezuela.
His aunt, Adriana Prag of Solana Beach, lost her 14-year-old niece, Sofia, in the same earthquake. Sophia's body was discovered hugging her godmother.
After our initial report on the family's story in late June, donations poured into a GoFundMe campaign set up to help them. That support allowed Prag to purchase 4 cadaver skin grafts at a cost of more than $6,000. The grafts were flown last week from Miami to Caracas, where 3 of them were transplanted onto Ramirez's leg. The fourth is expected to be transplanted next week.
"It was critical, needed," Prag said.
When asked how the skin grafts were doing, Ramirez said his doctor reported the leg is looking better.
Ramirez's recovery is expected to be lengthy. He still has to undergo back surgery, but Prag said the outpouring of support from San Diego made a critical difference.
"It shows people care in times when others most need it," Prag said.
Ramirez expressed gratitude for the help he received.
"So kind, so grateful, other people just helping me … It’s amazing," Ramirez said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
