Today when one of our managers, Gloria was in Solola buying corn in bulk for next weeks deliveries, she was asked by the man working in the store, if she would help a family that was very much in need. Gloria agreed to go and the man quickly contacted the Cocode of that village to say that Gloria and Oscar would be coming to visit the family. People are not allowed to travel freely into villages, there is a lot of concern about unknown people bringing the virus. The Cocode, which is the Indigenous elected community council. They agreed to accompany Gloria and Oscar. Little did they know they were in for a quite a walk in the wild.
When they finally arrived at the house they met Maria, 42 years old who is a single mother and her son Pedro, a 20-year-old who is bedridden.
Maria thanked Gloria and Oscar for coming and told them that her husband had abandoned her and Pedro for another woman about 5 years ago. She has a younger son, 17 years old but he is working with a family on the coast. Gloria got the impression that he had gone to live with the family and had food and board and a small wage in exchange for his work. He seems to live there all the time and he helps his mother pay the $45 US monthly rent that she pays on the house. Since the lockdown, the boy has not been able to send her any money as he is not working and the mother is worried she may get evicted from this very humble house.
Pedro started to suffer from severe nose bleeds about 5 years ago. He bled every day. The mother, speaks Kakchiquel and barely speaks Spanish, said she got a small loan and the community put into help have Pedro receive his operation about 18 months ago. The doctor had said that he had a bad vein and it had to be fixed. But it has not worked out so well.
Pedro still bleeds every day. They have not been able to seek medical attention since he had the operation. Pedro is so weak that he cannot stand up except to go to the bathroom where his mother helps him walk very slowly.
He has been diagnosed as anemic by a nurse who came to see him. The nurse also said that she does not think his kidneys are functioning well.
When his mother was working, she would wash clothes by hand, do cleaning, or field work but now there is no work. When she had money she would buy him an injection once every three weeks and this injection would help him. When he got this injection he could stand and even walk outside. But now she can no longer afford to help him.
After the operation, Pedro developed this mass on his nose. He bleeds still every day from his nose and this mass. He has had no medical attention for it. They do not know what it is.
He has a lot of headaches.
Poor boy, he is only 20 years old and really needs help. Even though they have very little food the mother is not asking for food, she is asking for medical help for Pedro.
Maria herself is not well. She appears to have developed rheumatoid arthritis and Gloria said her foot is going purple. She is in a lot of pain with all her joints and her fingers are twisted but she goes out to the woods to search for firewood. When she gets enough collected she tries to sell it or exchange it for food.
Pedro lies there all day on the bed and the bed does not even have a mattress. It has some blankets wadded up underneath the sheets.
If you can possibly help to provide medical care for Pedro and medicine for his mother they would be so happy. The cost for the medical care, we are thinking for the consultation and tests, and medicine could be approx. $300 US. If you are able to help, please send a
donation and mark it Pedro 20. www.fundamaya.org and click on the donate button.
Thank you so much for any help you can give.