As boy heals, news opens wounds

By Matt Assad

The Morning Call

April 04, 2008

Three weeks after fire forced 13-year-old Manny Garcia to jump from the second-floor window of his family's Bethlehem home, he walked out of Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Burns that forced him into a medically induced coma have healed nicely and his chances of a full recovery are good, but in some ways he left the hospital Saturday hurting more than when he arrived.

Only hours before his release, Manny learned what the rest of the community already knew: The fire that injured him had taken his four siblings.

His older brother Juan Echevarria Jr., 22, said that for more than two weeks, a barely conscious Manny would ask, '''How are my brothers and sisters doing?''' The family would reply, '''You just worry about getting better. That's what is important right now.'''

Hoping to allow him to focus on healing, the family decided not tell the teen just how tragic the fire was until last Friday, the day before he was released.

''We all gathered around his bed and told him about his brother and sisters and we all broke down,'' Echevarria said. ''To tell the truth, that was the moment everything became real for me. Until then, I guess I never really let it sink in.''

Manny was sleeping on the second floor of his family home at 1217 Mechanic St. with his siblings, Jai-Lynn Echevarria, 5, Nyasia Echevarria, 8, Anthony Echevarria, 11 and Jonathan Echevarria, 13, when fire struck the home about 4:30 a.m. March 8.

Manny's mother, Jozlyn Vargas, had fallen asleep on the living-room couch, where she'd watched movies with her children, when she woke to the sound of a basement smoke detector. With her five children trapped on the second floor, Vargas ran outside for help. Only Manny survived by jumping from the second-floor window.

Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, but say a candle may have been left burning on the dining-room table.

As a shocked community rallied around the family, Manny lay in a hospital bed with serious burns to his arms and a fractured bone in his neck, Echevarria said. Heavily sedated for most of the first two weeks, Manny's burns healed much more quickly than expected and skin grafts taken from his legs have already begun to heal, Echevarria said. Though Manny spent several days in a neck brace as a precaution, the fractured bone in his neck will have no lasting effects, he said.

The four weeks that doctors said Manny would have to spend in the hospital ended up being less than three, said the Rev. Marilyn Hartman, pastor of the family's church, El Shaddai Bethlehem Ministries.

''I was blown away by the outpouring of sympathy and prayers from the community,'' Hartman said. ''It is not a coincidence that Manny is recovering faster than anyone thought he could. The entire community has been sending him prayer.''

And that's not all they've sent. A flurry of donations of everything from money to food to clothing to smoke detectors has rushed in. Community events and collections have brought the family enough money to pay for the funeral costs, and Hartman said she learned only this week that a benefit basketball tournament is being planned for May.

But as comforting as the community support has been, it has been somewhat overwhelming for the family, Hartman said. That's why Manny's release from the hospital was done quietly and the family has been taking a break from the constant stream of media and community calls. Once the family, which has been staying with relatives in Bethlehem, has had more time to grieve, they'll publicly thank the many people and businesses that have rallied around them.

Until then, they'll join Manny in trying to heal.

''The community support has been incredible, but only two things can help ease this pain,'' Echevarria said. ''God and family will get us through.''

matthew.assad@mcall.com 610-861-3617

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