SYLVIA VILLANUEVA
South Bay

Illness, bad luck don’t shake mom’s faith in studious son

Juan “Tony” Villanueva is an exemplary 16-year-old boy, an honor student at Glades Central High who is also taking dual-enrollment classes at Palm Beach Community College.
The South Bay teen is working to earn his Eagle Scout badge and has been invited to participate as a student ambassador in a People to People International program in Europe next summer.
But perhaps his greatest distinction is his devotion to his mother, Sylvia, who can no longer work due to injuries she suffered on the job several years ago.
Sylvia injured her neck, back and knee working in a supermarket and eventually had to quit after 25 years on the job. She also suffers from fibromyalgia, glaucoma and digestive disorders.
Tony is the younger of her two sons, the boy who helps his mother cook and deliver food to the elderly during the holidays, the boy who always lends a hand with the household chores, the boy who dreams of a career in psychology or criminal justice.
“I want to succeed,” says Tony. “I want to prove that Hispanics, no matter how disadvantaged, can achieve whatever they aspire to.”
The Villanueva household, physically battered during the hurricane season of 2005, suffered even more devastating blows in recent months: Sylvia’s husband, her high school sweetheart and the father of her sons, left her after 20 years of marriage.
Even worse, older son, 19-year-old Jose “Frankie” Francisco, was nearly killed in a car crash. He says he was chased, then crashed the car, and was robbed and left for dead. Unable to walk away from the wreck with a broken hip, he waited all night until a jogger found him.
While Frankie is convalescing at home, he is unable to help support his mother and brother, as he had been doing. He faces months of rehabilitation.
“I want to get better, clear up my medical issues, so I can work again and take care of my sons,” says Sylvia, 41, a Pahokee-born, Belle Glade-raised woman. “I don’t like to be sick.”
Luckily, Sylvia’s family is a tight-knit bunch — her mother lives down the street, and her sister a few miles away. Athough family members pitch in with groceries and emotional support, Sylvia is burdened with daunting medical bills and the costs of repairing a home that is falling apart.
With her older son’s medical expenses mounting, she is facing her most desperate hour. What keeps her going through lingering and often debilitating depression is the unsinkable spirit she sees in son, Tony. She dreams of being able to send him on the People to People study tour but is afraid he may not get a grant for the program.
Even her older son marvels at the younger boy’s drive:
“He’s straight books,” says Frankie. “He’s the one who’s going to pull us through.”

The Villanuevas’ wishes

What they asked for: Money to pay medical expenses and to repair their home.

What they received: Sylvia is organizing her medical bills so they can be paid. She got a sofa bed and a new stove.

What she said: “Even though there are people who don’t know you, they’re willing to help you out,” says Sylvia.

Nominated by: Take Stock in Children of Palm Beach County
Address: 230 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 200, Lake Worth, FL, 33460
Phone: (561) 582-3765
Its mission: Providing four-year, full-tuition scholarships, caring mentors and hope for a better life to deserving students from low-income families throughout Palm Beach County.