Three weeks ago, Victor Hugo Penafiel's hopes of being able to stand and walk were hanging by a wing and a prayer.

The 45-year-old amputee from Ecuador had come to the United States to receive two prosthetic legs and a left arm. But because of a misunderstanding, Penafiel instead faced a near insurmountable task of raising more than $32,000 to get his prosthetic parts before his visa expires on July 24.

But Penafiel is now a giant step closer to his dream after Little Giant Ladder founder and local philanthropist Hal Wing stepped in with a $20,000 donation. Wing's donation, made Monday to the Victor Penafiel Prosthetic Fund, a fund set up by America First Credit Union, helped boost the total funds raised for Penafiel to nearly $27,000 to date.

"He's a human being in need of help. I can't imagine the heartbreak of getting all the way here and not getting the help he needed," Wing said. "This is a worthy cause. I can't imagine how one can go through life without legs and an arm."

Ann Long, who is hosting Penafiel and his wife, Mercedes, while they are in the United States, said the couple were overcome with emotion when they were told of the $20,000 donation.

"When we told him, his eyes lit up and he bowed his head on the kitchen countertop, overcome. He didn't want me to see the tears in his eyes. And when he raised his head, he just had the biggest smile on his face," Long said.

Penafiel lost his legs and arm in 1972 at the age of 11 when he fell under a train in Columbia. His left leg is severed at the hip, his left arm is severed near the elbow and his right leg is severed six inches below the hip. Thinking he would receive prosthetic limbs, Penafiel and his wife arrived in the United States on June 4 with assistance from local residents, Thayne and Tina Bailey, Clyne and Ann Long, Michael and Leslie Callahan and the Compassion Society of the Americas, managed by Marcelo Espinel.

But Espinel had misunderstood an offer by Otto Bock HealthCare, a Minneapolis-based orthotic fabrication company, to donate his new limbs, when in fact, he was only promised new feet. Since Utah media ran Penafiel's story a few weeks ago, he has received a knee from Freedom Innovations Inc., an Irvine, Calif., prosthetics parts maker and $4,306 in donations.

Fit-well Prosthetic & Orthotic Center, a Salt Lake City-based maker of customized prosthetics, also offered for free to custom-fit his prosthetic parts and provide physical therapy, services valued at more than $21,000, said Janeene Claveria, the company's office manager.

"He still needs a lot of parts, like silicon liners and locking mechanisms that hold the leg together, protective covers or skin for the parts, hip joints, parts for the left arm, none of which have been ordered, and we also have to custom-fabricate the hip socket," she said.

But in order for Penafiel to get all his prosthetics parts and physical therapy in time before his tourist visa expires on July 24, the funds have to be collected by July 10, said Chris Hunsaker, general manager and controller for Fit-well.

"We can't place orders for the parts without the money in the account. As of today, we've only $4,306 in the account and the promises of a $2,500 donation from an anonymous donor from California and the $20,000 donation," he said.

E*Trade Financial Corp. had offered to donate $10,000 to the fund, but that has yet to be approved by its board, said Lindsay Blau, a spokeswoman for Fit-well.

Clyne Long said he is looking into the possibility of extending Penafiel's visa. "If he doesn't get his prosthetic limbs in time, he will have to go back to Ecuador and continue hoping that something will open up in the near future."

Despite his handicap, Penafiel finished school, married, has two children and supports his family with his own businesses, selling pharmaceuticals in his home and opening a small shop in Ecuador. He is also active in the LDS Church and serves the community by motivating others to overcome their difficulties.

Penafiel is scheduled for an appointment with Fit-well today. "It's a fitting for a test socket, or the customized hip part that he sits down into. We're testing to see if the socket works," Hunsaker said.

If the funds collected exceed what Penafiel needs for now, these will be collected and used to help other amputees or to fund Penafiel's trips to the United States for future physical therapy, prosthetics parts' adjustments and repairs, he said.

Donations are being accepted at any of the branch offices of America First Credit Union, which set up the Victor Penafiel Prosthetic Fund. You can also send checks to America First Credit Union at P.O. Box 9199 Ogden, Utah 84409. America First members can use Web Access to transfer money into Victor's account. For more information on making the transfer, please visit www.americafirst.com.

Donations can also be made at Corporation Fitness Wellness Centers, a 501(c)3 non-profit group set up by Fit-well to collect tax-deductible donations for Penafiel. The fund is managed by a group of three directors including Scott Allen, president of Fit-well. Checks can be sent to Corporation Fitness Wellness Centers at 50 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84102.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.