Ronnie Polaneczky: HEAL OF A JOURNEY

ON APRIL 16, 2012, Suhaila Teran Ponce, of Peru, was in the wrong place at the wrong time and almost died because of it. Six months later, the 5-year-old arrived in Philly, a medical mecca that is the right place for her to rebuild her life. But until the Daily News got involved, Suhaila's father, Florentino Teran Vasquez, worried that bad timing, once again, might derail his daughter's future.

Her recent past has been hell.

On that lovely April afternoon, Florentino, 37, was working at the hotel where he tends bar. Suhaila, her mother, Beatriz, 32, and her other daughter, Diana, 9, were strolling home from Diana's school in Cajamarca, Peru, north of the capital of Lima. Out of nowhere, a police van driven by a rookie cop plowed into them and another pedestrian.

Sickening surveillance video shows the vehicle careening into them, then thumping over their bodies as if they were speed bumps.

The pedestrian was killed and bystanders at first thought Suhaila, Beatriz and Diana had also died in the violent crash.

Diana had head trauma. Beatriz lost her leg and suffered chest burns. Suhaila lost a leg, plus half her pelvis. She also suffered massive internal injuries.

For weeks, the catastrophe dominated national news as the rookie cop was arrested and Suhaila and her family fought for their lives. Eventually, their health stabilized and other events pushed the accident from the headlines. But that didn't mean the family was doing well.

Florentino left Cajamarca for Lima, where Beatriz was hospitalized and Suhaila was treated at Lima's Children's Hospital. Diana, discharged, stayed with relatives.

Suhaila's condition worried everyone the most. Her injuries required a colostomy and her genital area was damaged. Although she received loving care at Lima Children's, the hospital is overcrowded and underfunded. Her doctors had neither the resources nor expertise to manage her case.

As time passed, Suhaila languished. A cadre of devoted hospital volunteers, led by an angel named Marisa Novoa, made it their mission to help her.

Novoa contacted the Lima chapter of the Shriners, the international brotherhood of do-gooders, who arranged with Peruvian ex-pat Shriners in Washington, D.C., to fly Suhaila and her dad to Philly.

Here, Suhaila would be treated for free at Shriners Children's Hospital, an orthopedic hospital. She'd receive a prosthesis and undergo 12 weeks of therapy to learn how to use it.

Suhaila and Florentino arrived on Oct. 28. They are living at Ronald McDonald House on Erie Avenue and spend their days at Shriners. Suhaila, who has charmed the staff, has progressed well. She is scheduled to return to Peru on Friday.

The deadline fills Florentino with dread. He said she needs more than orthopedic help.

He said she that had begun excreting blood-tinged feces, which shouldn't be happening. She had persistent discomfort in her genital area. She often cried in pain.

Through an interpreter, Florentino told me, "She needs a medical evaluation and a plan so her recovery doesn't come to a stop."

For weeks, he had been asking Shriners for a referral to a specialist to help Suhaila. This was a nervy request, he knew, because his family is now destitute and can't pay for care.

"But I am desperate," he said.

A social worker told Florentino that no medical facility had responded to repeated requests for help. That's when a friend contacted me on the family's behalf.

I spoke with Shriners' public-relations manager, Stephanie Byrwa. And within hours, she and I were on the phone with Don Wenzler, Shriners' director of patient-care services.

The good news: On Thursday, Suhaila met with a gastroenterologist at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. This week, she will see a surgeon and urologist there. The hope is that doctors will find the cause of her current problems and get her well.

Marisa Novoa, the hospital volunteer in Lima, told me by phone that Suhaila deserves a chance at a normal life.

"We need America's help," she begged, through an interpreter. "We have done all we can. Please, please help Suhaila."

She reiterated what Florentino told me: The family, who once spent happy days together in Cajamarca, has been torn asunder by the tragedy.

Beatriz, the mom, receives free care in Lima's Police Hospital (Peru has police hospitals the way the United States has military ones). But the care doesn't include a prosthesis, which she must pay for. She still has problems related to the burns she suffered. She remains hospitalized while sympathizers try to raise money for the extra treatment.

Suhaila's sister, Diana, rarely gets to see her mother. And neither, obviously, has seen Suhaila or Florentino since the pair left for Philly.

Florentino would gladly weather a longer separation if it means Suhaila gets better here.

"Everyone has already been so kind," he said. "I feel bad asking for more help. But Suhaila is my child. I have to help her."

Phone: 215-854-2217

On Twitter: @RonniePhilly

Blog: philly.com/ronnieblog