Valley flower vendor needs new prosthetic leg. Strangers are buying him one for Christmas
Guillermo Lozano pulled up the bottom of his jeans last week to reveal a worn prosthetic leg. It’s wrapped with a frayed, makeshift Army-green strap below the artificial right knee, where the 47-year-old flower vendor inserted bolts not meant to be there to keep the wobbly piece together.
It’s damaged in other places, too, but Lozano said he didn’t have the money to buy a new one. That changed this week.
A GoFundMe was made to buy him a new prosthetic leg for Christmas by two sisters who recently heard about him on social media. The fundraiser raised nearly $20,000 in four days to help the Visalia man who now sells flowers alongside rural roads in Madera.
Lozano had a doctor’s appointment Monday and will return for another in early January so doctors can get measurements for his new prosthetic, estimated to cost between $16,000 and $18,000, said Fabiola Ochoa, one of the sisters from Mendota who made the GoFundMe.
Ochoa, who works as a tax preparer, talked about her parents immigrating from Mexico like Lozano as part of her inspiration to “pay it forward” now that her family is doing better financially.
“I wholeheartedly believe that this can be anyone,” Ochoa said of Lozano.
Lozano shared his gratitude Friday from the corner of Avenue 14 and Road 23 outside Madera, where he sells flowers from plastic buckets and a table. Creases on his face disclosed a big smile beneath a mask covering his mouth. He thanked God for those who have helped him and prayed for their continued strength.
From Valley farmworker to flower vendor
Lozano’s right leg was amputated over 15 years ago after he was hit by a car while searching for bottles and cans, Lozano told The Bee via Ochoa, who interpreted because Lozano speaks Spanish.
Lozano continued farm work after the amputation, picking blueberries, grapes and oranges in the central San Joaquin Valley, along with working in fruit packing houses. He even climbed ladders with his prosthetic leg.
He stopped farm work last year as his prosthetic deteriorated from overuse, Ochoa said, making picking crops more difficult. His prosthetic should have only lasted four years but he kept using it because he didn’t have another option.
He now sells flower bouquets, and roses preserved in glass jars filled with water beside small statues of the Virgin Mary.
Lozano helps grow the flowers, and gets a small commission from his boss ranging from $5 to $10 for each sale. On a good day, he said he can take home between $80 and $100.
He said he hasn’t even been able to afford a new pair of shoes with his income. He’d like to buy a special pair with any money leftover from GoFundMe donations.
Ochoa said Lozano also wants to expand his flower business, get a new identification card, and help a family that has been sheltering him rent-free in their Visalia home, where he didn’t even have a television. Fabiola and Jessica Ochoa changed that last weekend by surprising him with a TV, among other Christmas gifts.
Lozano wakes at 4 a.m. daily, tries to help with house chores, and then is driven to Madera, where he sells flowers from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. He’s been at Avenue 14 and Road 23 for a few weeks and plans to stay there at least into February.
Lozano has three daughters that he said he lost contact with. He’s grateful for the Ochoa sisters who he already considers family. They’ve started calling him “Uncle Guillermo” despite only meeting for the first time this month.
“I feel like 2020 has been a rough year on everyone, including myself,” Fabiola Ochoa said. “But I feel like being able to help him, and seeing a person like him smile in such a way – I feel like it’s made my year, and I hope it can make other people’s year as well.”
