UPDATE 3/8: Thank you to those of you who have sent in a gift to support Damian. We are very excited to report that Damian arrives in NY on March 13th so if you see him riding in the park in the coming weeks be sure to give Damian a warm ‘hola, bienvenido a NY’.

Damian’s surgeries are scheduled for April 5th and May 5th and possibly something in early June as well. The surgeries will be performed at no cost at NYU’s Langone Medical Center’s Institute for Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. The world class team of doctors are also contributing their time. We need to thank the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction for making this all possible. Without NFFR’s help non of this would have been possible.

Damian will also be getting fitted for prosthetics thanks to Achilles International and Hanger Prosthetics. Hanger Prosthetics will be consulting with Dr. Andy Pruitt who is an expert in fitting elite cyclist’s prosthetics to their bikes. For Damian, who has aspirations to make the 2012 Paralympic Team, being sure is he properly fitted is an important component to making his new prosthetics work they way they need to.

Other cycling industry donors include : Fuji Bicycles, Hincapie Sports, Louis Garneau, and LeMond Fitness. Marazul Travel is also assisting with Damian’s Travel.

We are still fundraising for Damian – the cost of his flights, helping with the costs of having a care giver with him post surgeries, living in NY, etc and then whatever funds are left will be donated to the foundations that have been so key to the support of Damian.

Some minor cycling items still needed for Damian – Look pedals ( we need two pair – one for his track bike), cycling glasses, a great pump, tires, tubes and some more cycling clothing.

If anyone would like to make a gift – we do have a PayPal account set up: TeamDamian2011@gmail.com – all gifts will be accounted for. Gifts can also be made in his name to Achilles Foundation or the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction.

As for bike items: Nanci Modica is serving as the chair of TEAM DAMIAN – you can reach her at modi@10@gmail.com

· PS you can also meet Damian at the upcoming
BikeSmart! Maximizing Cycling Performance
Location: Loeb Auditorium NYU Langone Medical Center’s Hospital for Joint Diseases
Time: ‎7:00AM Saturday, March 19th

Please take a moment to post thank you’s on the FACEBOOK of Damian’s supporters!

UPDATE 2/28: Damian is returning to NY and needs host housing. Please get in touch with Nanci Modica if you or someone you know can help out. Meanwhile, check out this CBS News feature on Damian from earlier this month:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/02/10/healthwatch-damien-lopez-alfonso/

UPDATE 1/12: Marco and I are having a photo sale for Damian. Here’s how it’ll work. If we’ve taken a shot of you in the past that you’ve always wanted, find it on the site and email Marco or me. Then, for a minimum donation of $15 (I usually sell my shots for $35) via paypal to teamdamian2011@gmail.com, we’ll send you a big full res file. So go ahead and scour the pictures section for galleries by us and let us know. If you balked at the price of the shots in the past now’s your chance to get one cheap!

Original post: Many of us have been deeply touched by Damian’s story. Now we’re asking for your help. Damian’s coming back to New York at the end of this month to begin several rounds of reconstructive surgery, and there are many expenses to cover. I hate to use the cliché, but no donation is too small. The original story posted here got thousands of hits – if everyone who read it gave just $5 we’d meet our goal with ease. Nanci Modica is acting as Damian’s liaison while he’s here, and she has set up a paypal account just for this at teamdamian2011@gmail.com. We hope you can chip in.

Below is a letter from Tracy Lea detailing Damian’s expenses.

Join Damian’s TEAM with a gift today.

Damian needs your help today. Your gift along with others will help Damian realize his dream – facial reconstruction, racing prosthetics and a chance to qualify for the Cuban Paralympic Team.

Your gift today will go towards:

Travel costs to the US – each trip along with visas and exit end reentry taxes costs approximately $1,240@ for a total of: $3,720

And we know that he will need at least three trips – maybe more

Living expenses in New York – we have host housing but we do need to be sure that Damian has his meals and other living expenses taken care of. We are projecting that his stay in the US for the first two surgeries and prosthetic fitting will be 8 – 10 weeks: $1,250

Travel and food assistance for his caregivers: Damian will need a caregiver for the first three weeks after his first surgery – one eye will be sewn shut while the other eye will be covered as part of the facial reconstruction – so three weeks with no vision. We have arranged for his aunt from Florida to be his 24/7 caregiver and assist him to get to medical appointments: $600

Miscellaneous needs: clothing, cycling equipment (Fuji has donated a bike but we may need to work on adaptive parts to work with his new prosthetics – such as the new Shimano electronic shifting components. We are able to purchase at cost but cost is high: $3,000

(Gifts are not tax deductible – if more funds are received in excess of what is needed the balance will be divided between The Achilles Foundation and the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction. Gifts can also be made directly to these two organizations in Damian’s name to help offset their costs in supplying service to Damian.)

Gifts already received:

Prosthetics – Achilles Foundation

Facial Reconstruction: National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction