Leaning on a fellow migrant, Marcel Maldonado arduously crosses a river in the perilous Darien Gap jungle struggling to lift his prosthetic right leg out of moving water with each step.
He is among an estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans who have left their home country to escape economic hardship and political repression.
Despite a lack of food, nights slept out in the open, extortion scams and the danger of armed groups in Central America, Marcel, his wife Andrea, and his stepson Samuel made it all the way to their destination, the United States.
Two months, nine countries, and thousands of dollars later, the family have finally reached Greenville, South Carolina, where they see the promise of a brighter future within reach.
They hope to buy a car so Marcel can earn a living as a taxi driver.
He hopes he can get a new prosthetic leg.
And the couple hope to have a child.
After surviving the nightmare of the journey, here, too, "I can make it," says Marcel with a smile.