euskalkultura.eus

Leire Gondra/Deia.  Joseba Andoni loves rock.  He loves Metallica, and Aerosmith, and he tries to copy his idols with his little guitar.  He is a very special child.  This little boy from Bakio is eight-years-old, with a fetching smile but a very hard life…since when he was barely 11 months old, he almost drowned in a pool.  His life was saved but, the accident has left its mark on his development.  His mother, Eneritz Larrazabal, went to the US because there was a hospital that could help him.  She gathered Andoni and his little brother, Anaitz, and now, six years later, the Miami Euskal Etxea is committed to raising funds to help with the expense of the new treatment that will help this little kid from Bakio that lives fighting and dreaming of rock and roll…

The pool accident has marked the life of this family forever.  Eneritz talks about how Andoni’s development wasn’t normal.  After many visits between various doctors and hearing that he would never walk or talk, and after watching him have convulsions, Eneritz, who has family in Florida, moved there when Andoni was two to follow treatment at Miami’s Children’s Hospital.  “There they told us that there was no definitive cure, but his quality of life would improve,” Eneritz said.

Joseba Andoni has made notable progress over the years, but there came a time, when he turned 8, that he was no longer eligible for aid at this hospital.  Eneritz didn’t give up.  Her son has to continue making progress and she heard of a treatment with stem cells that had a high rate of success.  Faced with this situation, the Miami Euskal Etxea decided to commit itself to help Joseba Andoni and raise funds to help with the costs of the aforementioned treatment.

[At the beginning of the month, the Euskal Etxea in Miami gathered members at an event to raise money for the campaign.  Shown here, Joseba Andoni in the bottom row (photo Larrazabal/Deia)]

Boni Guentxea is the president of Euskal Etxea of Miami, a Basque club who currently functions virtually, since it had to close its clubhouse due to economics, and lack of funds.  One of Boni’s goals, as well as other members is to keep the club going.  “The Larrazabal family contacted us at Aberri Eguna this year. For my mission, to keep the club going, it was a great contact since they are born in the Basque Country and have a lot of knowledge of music and folklore from the area of Bermeo, Bakio and Busturia, where I spent much of my childhood and youth until I came to Miami to play Jai-Alai,” Boni explained.  So I thought I would ask Eneritz to lend us a hand and start giving txistu and danbolin courses, as well as other Basque instruments that she knows how to play.

When Boni found out about the Larrazabal’s situation he realized that the priority was different.  “I realized that Eneritz needed me more than I needed her musical talents,” he explains.  That is when I started talking to other club members and we decided that we needed to help.  “We will play the txistu to celebrate Joseba Andoni’s recovery,” says Boni.

-Complete article in Deia
-If you want to know more about the campaign or help out with a donation go to Miami Euskal Etxea’s website.