Recovery

swollen and disfigured after the pit bull mauled him last month. He is self-conscious about his wounds, so he tries to hide behind his hands around strangers.

His mother, a 28-year-old single parent, left her family behind in Guatemala seven years ago to earn money in America and provide for her two other children, now 10 and 9, back home. Kevin is all she has here, and she spends most of her time now at his bedside, having quit her job to care for her boy.

On Thursday, doctors at Maricopa Medical Center performed a procedure to examine the extent of his injuries, including the muscles around his right eye. They found the cuts on and inside his face healing well. But the tear ducts and eye muscles need more work. His surgeon believes it is possible to get his right eye to open again — but it will be tricky.

Floridalma, or Flor, spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday, tearfully describing for The Arizona Republic and 12 News the emotional roller coaster she and Kevin have been riding.

Since Kevin’s story was published by The Republic and azcentral.com last week, strangers from across the Valley and beyond have inundated Kevin and Flor with an outpouring of support.

Donations for his care ballooned from about $1,100 nine days ago to $31,234 as of Thursday, both through an online fund set up by Flor’s friend and via the Maricopa Health Foundation, a non-profit arm of the Maricopa Integrated Health System that raises money for patient care. The foundation has received more donations for Kevin than any other patient.

Handwritten letters, toys, coloring books, pajamas for Kevin and Flor, and even Domino’s Pizza gift cards from someone who had heard there was no cafeteria at their previous hospital, arrived in the mail. People donate what they can, apologizing that they can’t afford more. But $50 pays for a full day’s work for Flor.

“I’ve had a lot of support. What more can I ask for?” said Flor, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. “I appreciate their support, their candles, their messages, even though I don’t know how to read English. I appreciate with all my heart.”

On Feb. 20, Flor was almost at the end of her shift as a housekeeper at a local motel when she got the call about her son, who was in the care of a baby-sitter. Don’t panic, she was told, but your son was attacked by a dog. Then she found out he was headed to surgery, where doctors would work for 51⁄ hours to save him.

She wasn’t sure how badly he was injured until she finally saw Kevin at 2 a.m., his face wrapped in bandages. She realized how devastating it was.

“He screams and cries,” she said. “He says, ‘Leave, I don’t want to see you.’ ... Sometimes, I don’t know what to do.”

When she does leave him to eat or use the restroom, Kevin begs her to stay, afraid she will leave him at the hospital.

After quitting her job to take care of Kevin, Flor lost her home. Her belongings are temporarily at a friend’s.

“What do I do for him? Who can I hold on to? I wish that it had happened to me instead of him,” she said. “He sees me and says, ‘Don’t cry, mommy, I love Help Kevin with his recovery: maricopahealthfoundation.org/ kevin. For the Love of Kevin: you caring.com/medical-fundraiser/ for-the-love-of-kevin/144415. The Lexus Project, which is helping Mickey: thelexusproject .org. you.’ But I know I can’t do anything. I can’t help him.”

Mickey, the pit bull that attacked Kevin, is at a county shelter awaiting his fate.

The dog’s fate has spurred a vitriolic debate.

A judge will hear the dog’s case on Tuesday, and ultimately decide whether Mickey should be euthanized.

A New York-based non-profit is raising money to pay for the dog’s legal expenses, while a local attorney is donating his time to represent Mickey. Tens of thousands of people are rallying via social media to save the dog’s life.

Mickey’s defenders say it was not the dog but the negligence of adults — the babysitter, the mom who wasn’t there — that led to the boy’s injuries. Advocates for the dog’s euthanasia say putting the dog down could save another child from injury.

“It disturbed me at first that they (Mickey’s supporters) placed more value on an animal than on a child, and that made me feel very bad,” Flor said. “If they don’t care about him (Kevin), well, I do.”

To everyone who also cares for Kevin, Flor said: “Thank you so much for all the support ... without knowing me, and for sending good wishes for Kevin’s recovery. Thanks to everybody for taking the time to give what they have given. Thank you so much. God bless you.”

PHOENIX — A Phoenix mother and stepfather are accused of hitting her 7-year-old son with a metal pipe for eating chips at day care.

Authorities say Franchesca Lourdes Ann Castro, 26, and Jay Philip Cason, 25, were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of child abuse.

Their initial court appearances were Thursday. Neither has a lawyer yet.

The Phoenix Fire Department responded Tuesday morning to a report of a boy with severe injuries to his back.

Police were called and officers say the boy had extreme swelling, bleeding, missing skin and bruising on his buttocks, lower back, hands and legs.

Police say Castro and Cason became upset and struck the child after he returned home from day care with the empty chip bag in his jacket pocket. For updates from your community throughout the day, go to: PHOENIX » phoenix.azcentral.com » ahwatukee.azcentral.com SCOTTSDALE » scottsdale.azcentral.com EAST VALLEY » mesa.azcentral.com » gilbert.azcentral.com » chandler.azcentral.com » tempe.azcentral.com » pinal.azcentral.com WEST VALLEY » glendale.azcentral.com » peoria.azcentral.com » surprise.azcentral.com » swvalley.azcentral.com