[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13147]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING THE ZANIOS FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise to 
honor several generous New Mexico residents who provided a boy from 
Peru with the opportunity to receive a life-saving heart surgery in 
Albuquerque.
  In true New Mexico spirit, Pamela Zanios, her husband James and their 
sons, Andres and James, opened up their Los Ranchos home to 14-year-old 
Flavio Liberti Gutierrez while he was in Albuquerque for the heart 
procedure. The Zanios family gave Flavio the comfort he needed while he 
was away from his own home in Calca, Peru. Heart surgery is a 
frightening experience for anyone, especially for a teenager in a 
foreign country. But the Zanios family provided Flavio with the love 
and moral support he needed to help him through the ordeal.
  Flavio got the opportunity for the heart surgery through the Healing 
the Children program, which arranges for medical care to children who 
otherwise would not receive it. I want to recognize this wonderful 
program, along with Dr. Carl Lagerstrom and his team at the 
Presbyterian Heart Group, which volunteered to perform the successful 
procedure. I would also like to thank the staff at Presbyterian for 
donating the hospital care, including operating staff, nursing staff 
and medications. American Airlines generously provided the air travel 
for Flavio as part of the company's longtime commitment to Healing the 
Children.
  I appreciate the generosity of all New Mexicans who go above and 
beyond to help their family, neighbors and especially a child from a 
foreign land who needed a helping hand. The Albuquerque Journal's 
Joline Gutierrez Krueger eloquently shared Flavio's story with the 
community. As a result, I was made aware of the actions of the Zanios 
family, Dr. Lagerstrom and many others who deserve this special 
recognition.

                          ____________________