He stood at my gate, a mere shadow of a man. Yovanny, a man I have known for more than ten years was waiting to catch me as I left the house on Monday morning for work. He apologized for disturbing me at home, but wanted for me to know his wife had been convulsing since the early morning. He didn't know why. Cruz, my right hand man, had the mission's vehicle, so I called for a moto-taxi. From the few details Yovanny was able to provide about his wife's condition, the situation worried me.
Yovanny and his wife Carmen have always lived in abject poverty. From time to time, the mission has provided food assistance for their family. About a year ago, the family moved to Pinalejo because Yovanny was offered a job at a poultry farm. Instead of finding a better life, the family has suffered an even more profound poverty than that of mountain life.When I arrived at the house, I was shocked by what I saw. Carmen, Yovanny's wife was lying motionless on the only twin bed this family of seven owned. She had just suffered another convulsion and was not responding. She was pale and had very dark circles under her eyes. In fact, all of the children seemed to be severely malnourished and in poor health. They were thin, very pasty in color and also had dark circles under their eyes. I asked Yovanny if they had been eating. He confessed, as he stared at the floor, they had all gone without food for the last three days.
In that moment, Carmen opened her eyes. They were wide with fear. She was staring at me and yet did not seem to see me. She screamed that animals were hunting her and were going to carry her off. She did not know who we were, where she was or what was happening to her. As far as I knew Carmen had never been an epileptic. A million diagnosis were running through my head. I could not imagine what could be causing the seizures. None the less, this woman was obviously very ill. The only solution was to take her to a hospital in San Pedro Sula.
But, before I could even put her in the car, Carmen began to seize again. The seizures were unlike anything I had ever seen before. She flung her head back violently. Her jaw clamped shut and she stopped breathing for a time. At the end of her seizure an almost animal-like cry came from the depth of her being. I remember thinking at the time that it was no wonder the people of biblical times thought those who suffered seizures were possessed. No sooner did one seizure stop, only a few minutes later another began. The only thing left to do was to make a run for the hospital.
Cruz and I loaded Carmen into the car. I stopped by the Center for Public health to ask for some inject able medication to stop the seizures long enough to make it to the hospital. Poor Cruz had to play both co-pilot and nurse as the medication was administered little by little to avoid further complications. Thankfully, the medication did the trick. The seizures stopped and Carmen rested comfortably in her husband's lap.
Making the decision as to where to go was not simple. I knew the doctors at the public hospital were likely to ask for a CT scan. The problem would be that the public hospital does not have a tomography unit. It would literally do me no good to take this patient to the public hospital without a CT scan and corresponding report. So, with the Fellow Man International credit card in hand, I decided to take Carmen to the Hospital del Valle. The management of this very prestigious hospital has been generous to our efforts on behalf of the poor in the past...perhaps they would be willing to give a discount on this occasion as well.
When we arrived at the hospital, I already had my speech ready for the doctor on call in the emergency room. I would explain to him that I needed a variety of tests for the patient so that she could be transferred to the public hospital. Thankfully, it was a physician with whom I had already worked before. He told me to bring her in, that he would help me get the needed tests while at the same time try to stabilize the patient. The nurses there are very friendly. One said, "I guess you are the village keeper". I silently thought to myself, "I wish I weren't some days".About that time Carmen began to seize again. I was glad to have more witnesses to these strange seizures. The ER doctor quickly placed additional medication in Carmen's IV to stop the seizures once again. He too had a perplexed look on his face. Once all of the information was given to the emergency room staff, I stepped out into the waiting room. I was relieved that Carmen's care was now in the hands of someone more qualified than myself. It's always a relief to get to the city.
About half an hour later, the ER nurse appeared in the waiting room. Carmen had been taken to the medical tower for an electroencephalogram, but that test had to be paid in cash as it was not part of the hospital's services. I walked over to the medical tower. When I entered the neurology center where the test was to be performed there was a huge sign that said, "1,800.00 lempiras is due in cash before the patient enters the testing area...no checks or credit cards accepted". I didn't have $100.00 in cash in my purse, so I begged for time from the receptionist. She agreed she would take the patient back for testing as long as I promised to go to the bank immediately to withdraw the necessary cash for the test. I thanked her for the favor and ran out the door to go find some cash. I wondered what a patient would do at night in the case of emergency. Where would a person find large amounts of cash at night when the banks are closed. Thankfully, the bank was open for business. It only took about thirty minutes for me to obtain the necessary funds in cash and return to the testing center to pay for the electroencephalogram. "Whew," I thought. One more hurdle had been jumped toward helping this woman.
Carmen was immediately taken to the CT scanner for her next test. Once again, I was sitting in the waiting room watching television and hoping for a diagnosis that would be treatable. About an hour later, the nurse told me that the test results were ready and that the neurologist had come to examine Carmen. I was allowed to enter the room to speak with the doctor. The neurologist was a kind man who seemed to be very thorough and kind. He spoke with the family, asked lots of questions and performed an exhaustive physical exam. After about an hour I would guess, he turned to me and asked if I had any idea what this woman's problem might be. I confessed I had no idea but had hope he would know. He showed me the EEG and the CT scan. Everything was normal. Her blood work was also normal. Now, I was even more confused than before.
"This woman is suffering from psychogenic non-epileptic seizures," he said. I could hardly believe what he was saying. I had seen women before who had "fits" or "spells" due to severe emotional stress, but this woman's condition was far different from anything I had ever seen. Certainly, her symptoms as far as I could tell were very real.
(To read more about this disorder click here http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1112967056)
This kindly, experienced neurologist explained that these "seizures" can be very difficult to diagnose and are often very tough to treat because they have a psychological origin most likely due to extreme emotional stress and trauma. He gently described the condition to Carmen and her husband in a very non-judgemental way. He encouraged them to talk about about the things in their lives that could be causing that kind of severe stress. He listened to their answers with a compassion and intensity that left no doubt in any one's mind about his commitment to his healing profession.
Then, as if by divine intervention the neurologist turned to me and said, "I am not going to charge you for my services". I explained that I had not called him out of his private practice expecting a gift. He said, "I have a heart too you know and I want to contribute". I was speechless. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't becoming worried about the medical bill by that time. I was so grateful for his generosity, I simply didn't have the words. He wrote down several prescriptions. He explained that we could perform more testing, but that it would be expensive and most likely reveal the same diagnosis. He then gave me his private clinic's address and his personal phone number. He said I could call upon him if ever I needed his services. Suddenly, this very bad day was turning into a pretty darn good day.
Then, as if by divine intervention the neurologist turned to me and said, "I am not going to charge you for my services". I explained that I had not called him out of his private practice expecting a gift. He said, "I have a heart too you know and I want to contribute". I was speechless. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't becoming worried about the medical bill by that time. I was so grateful for his generosity, I simply didn't have the words. He wrote down several prescriptions. He explained that we could perform more testing, but that it would be expensive and most likely reveal the same diagnosis. He then gave me his private clinic's address and his personal phone number. He said I could call upon him if ever I needed his services. Suddenly, this very bad day was turning into a pretty darn good day.
He released Carmen from the hospital, but I still needed to take the FMIF credit card to the cashier's box to pay for the hospital's services. The ER nurse who had been helping me said she was told the hospital was going to reduce its fees for this patient. With the CT scan, emergency room services, medications and blood work, the bill came to slightly over $300.00. It was significantly less than I had expected to say the least. Once again, such unexpected kindness left me speechless.
Soon, we were on the road to Pinalejo. What an emotional roller coaster! Before I could take Carmen home, there was still the problem of feeding the family that had to be addressed. How could we expect for her to recover from her depression and anxiety if the sources of those factors were not eliminated or at least reduced. At the very least, Fellow Man could provide some basic foodstuffs for the family. Beans, rice, corn, sugar, milk and a few other groceries were purchased on the way home to get things started. As I laid Carmen down in the rickety, old twin bed I wondered if we could do more. I feel in my heart, we have to do more.If you would like to see a video of this family's living situation, click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usPxpTlGcT4
Carmen has since confessed to me that she can not bear to see her children continue to suffer. The family needs much in the way of financial support to bring them out of this utterly desperate circumstance. These are the things that the family needs along with the cost of each item to bring some hope back into their lives.4 beds at $50.00/ea
linens, sheets, blankets, pillows, towels $150.00
a pair of shoes for each member of the family $10.00/ea
cooking pots and pans as well as a few plates, cups and silverware $40.00
cleaning supplies, broom and mop $20.00
food support for the next three months $75.00/month or $225.00
medication support for the next three months to treat Carmen's illness $50.00/month
medication support for the next three months to treat Carmen's illness $50.00/month
Total needed is: $855.00
Normally, I don't like to ask for specific family living support because it can be dependency based and not helpful for the long term. However, this family's situation is so dire that it just breaks my heart. I like what Bryan Sirchio says about being open to seeing what must break the heart of God. Perhaps this is one of those times.
If this situation should move your heart you can click here to donate.
*Please make sure you designate your gift for the Zelaya family.
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