Meet Jose Macario,
Our 2008-2009 “Cincy Kid”

Jose Macario may seem like your average teenager. The Loveland High School student loves soccer, he has lots of friends, he’s a picky eater. But Jose has come a long way—all the way from Guatamala—for a series of surgeries he hopes will change his life forever.

When he was just an infant, Jose’s entire body caught on fire in a disaster that burned his house to the ground. Living in a third world country, Jose did not get the medical attention necessary to help him grow and develop in spite of his injuries; as a result, Jose’s burns were debilitating.

Jose came to America at the age of 14 to be given the first medical care he has ever received for his burns, right here in Cincinnati at the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriners Hospitals for Children is paying for 100% of Jose’s care, just as they pay for the entire care of all their young patients.

But there is more that Jose needs while he is here. He first came to America early in 2008, but his surgeries only began in September of that same year, after months of assessment and planning. Jose will need skin grafts, but he will need much more. The extent of Jose’s injuries have left him disabled, but doctors are working to heal the injuries that Jose has had for a lifetime. He will need many surgeries—and many months of care at the hospital.

Jose’s family cannot afford to visit him during his long stay here in the Queen City. Cincinnati Cares hopes to raise funds for Jose during the 2008-2009 year to allow his mother Clara to purchase a plane ticket to visit him while he is recovering between surgeries.

Jose is a kid just like any other. And Cincinnati cares about him while he is in our safe keeping. That’s why, while he is here in our hometown, he is our “Cincy Kid.”

We’ll be raising money for Jose throughout the 2008-2009 year through sales of a special compilation CD, featuring the music of local bands The Infinity Ball, The Kevin Fox Band, and The Screaming Mimes. To find out how you can purchase a CD, or to make a donation to the Jose Macario fund, please email tom@cincinnaticares.org.

You can read more about Jose, and about Cincinnati Cares’ effort to help, online at the Cincinnati Enquirer