Officially His Brother’s Keeper

Six months after taking his mentally retarded and severely injured little brother home from the hospital, Juan Reyes was awarded full legal guardianship of the boy.

The ruling by Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray was an emotional win for Juan, 18, who was quiet, his face serious, when he left the hearing Monday.

“I’m so relieved,” he sighed. “I feel like I can breathe again.”

The Placentia youth had been trying for months to gain full legal custody of his 11-year-old brother, Elfego, after their mother was killed in a car crash last September. Elfego Reyes, who has Down syndrome, was so severely injured in the crash that his left arm had to be amputated.

Juan Reyes put his high school education on hold after the accident to stay at his brother’s side, and vowed to raise the boy. After Juan was named temporary guardian earlier this year, social service officials collected enough favorable evaluations about his commitment in caring for Elfego that Gray decided to change the status to a permanent one.

While the hearing at Orange County Juvenile Court was closed to the public, Juan’s attorney said the judge “praised Juan’s bravery” and applauded the way he has so diligently looked after his disabled younger brother, particularly in light of the loss he has also suffered.

“He basically said what we already knew, that Juan Reyes is a remarkable young man,” said Jeffrey S. Pop, the attorney who represented the brothers in court. “He’s put his life on hold for this. . . . I admire him a great deal.”

To Juan, who was thrust into an adult world after the accident and has lived there ever since, the ruling was “one less thing I have to worry about.” He was so nervous about the upcoming hearing that several relatives said he was stricken with an anxiety attack over the weekend.

“The thought of losing his brother is just too much,” said cousin Rebecca Salgado, 18. “That’s the one thing that always upsets him the most.”

Micaela Reyes, 51, was taking Elfego to church last fall when the car they were riding in went out of control and hit the wall of the family’s apartment building.

The brothers now live on public assistance. Juan pays the household bills and supervises Elfego’s treatment and complicated prognosis. The younger boy has returned to his special education class at John O. Tynes Elementary School, where teachers said he is doing “fabulously well.”

Monday’s ruling prompted Juan to recognized how far they have come, despite his reluctance to recall those depressing, lonely days when they were orphaned. He has had almost no contact with his father, and said he wouldn’t know how to find him if he wanted to. He doesn’t want to.

“I feel good about the future, finally,” he said. “I feel like everything we’ve done so far is finally paying off. Like we’re finally on our way.”

Times photographer Karen Tapia contributed to this report.