Francisco SÁENZ PORTILLO

Short Biography

I was born on December 17, 1948 in Polanco Batopila, Chihuahua, Mexico.

I grew up in Potrero de los Bojórquez, Morelos, Chihuahua. My childhood was normal and I was the second of seven brothers.  I went to College and received a degree in accounting. I married at 22 and I have six children. I worked and lived for my family.  I worked for a while as a driver of a mining company and when the company was shut down I dedicated myself to cattle raising.

Sometime in 1988, while I was asleep, a terrible accident occurred.  I was wounded by a lost bullet. I was in a coma for more than a month and since that time, we moved to the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa which helped with my physical recuperation.  After many doctors’ visits, I was diagnosed with Paresthesia in my upper and lower limbs.  Not having mobility in my arms and legs, I was compelled to use a wheelchair.

My wife and children took care of me.  For long periods of time I concentrated on reading and did not perform any productive work. One afternoon I met Perla Fabiola Espinoza, a painter, who is also disabled.  She paints with her mouth and she was also a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Fabiola offered to teach me how to paint with the mouth and I gladly accepted the offer with hope.  As I improved, my friend Fabiola suggested that I request membership in the Association and, thank God, I was later accepted.

I am now feeling that I am a useful person again with hopes and dreams of improving my life.