Trujillo overcame pain to learn, laugh with others

John Aguilar, Rocky Mountain News

Monday, February 6, 2006

Michael Trujillo was small in stature but large in heart.

"He didn't want to talk about his problems," said his grandmother, Delores Roybal. "He always worried more about me and his sister than he did about himself."

His physician for the past 10 years, Dr. Stephen Berman, said that despite intense pain brought on by a rare skin disorder, Mr. Trujillo managed bring joy to people in his life.

"He loved to tease people," Berman said. "He had a great sense of humor and generosity of spirit."

Mr. Trujillo died on Thanksgiving Day, six months after receiving his high school diploma in a special ceremony at Children's Hospital. He was 21.

He attended the Medical Day Treatment program at the hospital, which is taught by a teacher from Denver Public Schools.

"It was a very moving experience," Berman said of the ceremony.

Mr. Trujillo was buried Dec. 2 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge.

Mr. Trujillo suffered from epidermolysis bullosa, a condition in which collagen that holds together layers of skin is defective.

The result is that skin can blister and scar, and fingers and toes can fuse. Severe forms of the disease can cause muscle contractions and strictures of the esophagus.

Life expectancy ranges in the 20s.

"It's probably the worst disease a child can have. Every day there's pain," said Berman, who directs the epidermolysis bullosa clinic at Children's Hospital. "It's a very disfiguring condition that requires several dressing changes a day.

"Despite this and the fact that he was in a wheelchair, Michael went to school, he graduated and he helped other people."

Mr. Trujillo loved to do yoga, go shopping, watch movies and listen to music, his grandmother said.

And despite the fact that he eventually lost the use of his hands, Roybal remembered her grandson painting and putting together puzzles with her.

"He's my hero. He never complained about anything," she said.

Roybal said she raised Mr. Trujillo from birth, after his mother became addicted to drugs and abandoned him. She said she spent years bathing and changing him as his mobility became increasingly limited.

Roybal said she knew her grandson didn't have long to live, but she still wasn't ready for him to leave her.

At his death, Mr. Trujillo was surrounded by his family and friends from the hospital.

In addition to his grandmother, Mr. Trujillo is survived by two sisters, Yvonne Roybal and Nancy Wilson; and a brother, Joseph Roybal.

"Everybody loved him. It's not easy to see him one day and the next day, he's gone," Dolores Roybal said.

Berman said a song that Mr. Trujillo had helped write was played at his funeral. He said he won't soon forget the young man's courage and spirit.

"He was a very special person, and he touched a lot of people," Berman said. "He had an ability to give to others even though he was dealt such a terrible hand."