TWO CHILDREN BECOME PROTAGONISTS OF PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES OPENING CEREMONY

Two children stand out from the crowd and move through a labyrinth in a dynamic choreography. The scene represents the beginning of a friendship between the two characters, while the labyrinth symbolizes life itself, with its difficulties and obstacles. Both children help each other to overcome obstacles and strengthen their friendship. 

The story shown at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games opening ceremony is not far from reality. Two children, who have become an example of significant self-improvement and have overcome obstacles themselves, play the leading roles. Piero Guidiche Montes (13) and Jheremy Alejos Pérez (10) are the children who did their best during the rehearsals of this fantastic ceremony. 

Piero Guidiche has cerebral palsy, as a result of swallowing amniotic fluid at birth; however, he is not intimidated by this condition. Very early in the morning, he attends his physical rehabilitation and psychological therapy sessions at the Hogar Clínica San Juan de Dios accompanied by his mother. 

"Piero has been struggling almost since he was born. We've faced difficult moments; not everything has been joy. At age 7, he began to realize what he had, but then he completely came to terms with it," said his mother. 

This little hero plays football, swims and enjoys athletics. He is a very enthusiastic and determined boy who has successfully participated in many sports competitions. Piero says: "Even if there is a difficulty, you can do it. Every day is a new opportunity for me because I know how to stand up.” 

His mother is more than proud and says that his coaches have told her that he has the skills to become a successful athlete. "Nothing Piero ends up doing would surprise me because I know he's going to do it with that great spirit he has.” 

There is another touching story behind the two characters that dazzled the audience on the night of the Parapan American Games opening ceremony: Jheremy Alejos, whose life story is an example. Due to a congenital condition, he has only one leg and uses crutches to move around.  

Jheremy lives in Jicamarca, two hours away from Lima. Every morning, he attends his therapies alone at Hogar Clínica San Juan de Dios. His father cannot go with him because he has to work.  

José is a single father of two boys, Jheremy and Santiago, and is also the only support of his family as a cleaning worker. Three times a week, at 04:00, José takes Jheremy to the bus that will transport him to San Juan de Dios. They are three men who face a hard routine every day.  

"Thanks to Jheremy I have come to understand many things. He’s a very skillful child, very independent. For me, it hasn't been easy to let him move around on his own. My aunt also helped me,” said José. 

The lives of Piero and Jheremy are inspiring. They have starred their own stories on a very special occasion: the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games opening ceremony, which captivated attendees and millions of television viewers who followed it.