Jose Luis Hernandez, 23, made his first attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at age 18 because he felt there was a lack of economic opportunities in Honduras. The attempt was unsuccessful, but Jose Luis was undeterred. Determined to help support his parents and siblings in Honduras, Jose Luis tried again.

“I overheard doctors in the hospital saying, “God must really want him here. He’s lucky the train didn’t kill him,” Jose Luis says remembering his ordeal. Jose Luis, however, was not the only lucky one. In his hometown in Honduras, with a population of slightly over 2,000 people, there are 69 others who shared his fate.

After days, with no food or water, of making the journey “train hopping” to the U.S., Jose Luis’ American dream became a nightmare. Weakened, he fell from a train which severed his leg, and arm. The pain was so excruciating he tried to use his other arm to pull at the leg which had been caught by the train– his hand was almost entirely crushed. He had made it to a small town in Mexico.

In the beginning, Jose Luis wished he had died. Not only had he lost his limbs but he felt, instead of helping his family, he would be a burden.

Nostalgic Jose Luis says, “All I could do was cry like a little boy… The doctors would sedate me to calm me down”.

He spent two years in a hospital in Mexico rehabilitating himself. The hospital donated the prosthetic on which Jose Luis now walks, and he is grateful to the man who helped him the moment of the accident, but Jose Luis doesn’t stop at just gratitude.

“My mission is now to let others know that it is not necessary to immigrate to reach your goals.” Jose Luis works to warn others of the dangers of crossing borders undocumented. Sharing his story with young people, he hopes to motivate them to reach for their dreams, and search for opportunities in their homeland. Radio Progreso, in Honduras, helps Jose Luis spread his message.

When questioned about his future, Jose Luis is not shy in saying that he likes to sing, and he wants to continue to share his story in the hopes of helping others, but there is another dream that he wants to fulfill. Jose Luis requires specialized reconstructive surgeries for his hand, which can only be done in the United States, and a new prosthetic as his has become worn from use and age.

Jose Luis ends by saying, “I had everything, and I could’ve done a lot of things, but I did not do them, and now I regret it.”

*****If you know of an institution or individual that may be able to help Jose Luis Hernandez, here in the U.S., please visit WRTE.ORG, and post the information to Radio Arte’s Facebook or Twitter. You can also leave your comments and/or information on this blog. Part of this story is available on www.vocalo.org/explore in Spanish audio format.