the child pictured to your right is named elda. she is 6. she thought her mom was dying of cancer.a month ago cecilia walked into our medical clinic and told jon, one of the doctor's, that she was dying of cancer. she had already been diagnosed and needed a surgery that she couldn't afford. in tears she asked us "who is going to take care of my 5 children?"
the next couple of weeks was spent learning more. doctor's, blood tests, and a cancer treatment center... not to mention long and difficult talks with the family.
as is becoming the case more and more, we are realizing challenges that we never could have foreseen. to make a very long story short, this ordeal has taught us more about:
- the corruption in the guatemalan health care system, where the poor are exploited and told they need expensive surgeries when they really don't. knowing they cannot research things, go for second opinions, etc, the doctor's know that the poor will return to their villages, borrow money from friends and family, sell their things, and collect the necessary money "so they don't die."
- the challenge of educating the poor as they receive medical attention. with no education whatsoever, and no ability to read, they simply listen to doctors with no idea what they are saying, and are too intimidated to ask questions. (we discovered cecilia had a surgery that removed a cancerous cyst on her uterus and she didn't even know it)
- the challenge of educating the poor as to the importance of hygiene. cecilia and her husband do not bathe regularly, and told the doctor it's because of old stories passed down from their grandparents about the danger of water getting inside your body through your private parts.
- the need for the poor to have a voice - an advocate who can speak for them and defend their rights so they can be taken seriously.
and elda, who hasn't left her mom's bed (thinking she was dying) can finally return to school knowing that mommy is ok.
0 comments:
Post a Comment