How Venezuela’s earthquake amputees adapt to life without limbs

More than just limbs

But readjusting to routines can be difficult for those who have sustained life-altering injuries — not to mention other losses.

So far, Ricardo is optimistic about his daily activities. He has resumed work at his family's truck parts business, as well as his university studies. A new semester of classes has started, and he uses crutches to get around.

“I was really quite nervous. I was even worried about where the classes will be because we have three floors and also the distances are long,” Ricardo said.

But his concerns quickly melted away. The professors even moved his lessons to ground-floor classrooms to make the courses more accessible.

“It was actually great going back," Ricardo explained. "My classmates have always been there, helping me.”

The most difficult adjustment, however, has been grappling with the loss of loved ones.

“If my leg hurts, I take a pill, but with that, there’s nothing I can do. There’s no cure, there’s no remedy, there’s nothing,” Ricardo told Al Jazeera.

His mum and dad both died from suffocation during the earthquakes while the family was waiting to be rescued. Their building was one of dozens in the state of La Guaira to collapse.

“I fell in the bathroom hugging my mother, and Andres fell near my father. She was telling me she was fine, but I saw that her head was covered with concrete, with a wall on top, and dust,” Ricardo said.

Before the earthquakes, he remembers his mother cooking, singing and spoiling the family dog, who also died in the destruction. He credits his father with teaching him and Andres the value of work and the importance of being strong.

Ricardo Contreras, right, and Andres, left, pose with their family before the fatal earthquake [Courtesy of the Contreras family]

The brothers often look through photographs of their parents on their phones. One shows their family home, overlooking the sea. Another has them by the pool.

“As time goes on, the crying is the same, but the reason is different. Instead of crying so much from sadness, it's more like remembering the good times,” Ricardo said.

Following his parents' death, Ricardo has taken on additional responsibilities beyond school and work.

He is now Andres's legal guardian, and he is hoping the pair can soon find a home of their own through a government housing programme for earthquake victims.

His university has also offered him a full scholarship to finish his studies, to help relieve the financial burden.

Money, however, is still expected to be tight. The average salary for a private-sector worker in Venezuela is not much more than $200 a month.

“Of course, I'm worried about my financial situation,” Ricardo said, explaining the family business has slowed since the earthquakes.

“Sometimes it's hard to cover all the expenses, given everything that's happened, but we find a way. I think that's what Venezuelans do: We’re always finding a way to make things work.”