Rosa's visit 3-15-09

I generally try to write blog entries in chronological order. This is going to be an exception. I have several blogs entries in my head that I haven’t yet written, yet I feel I must write about today's visit...maybe for my own sake.

Remember Rosa? She's the gal with wacked out diabetes that I met at The Servants Heart (TSH) here in Guatemala last November. With the help of a physician’s assistant back in the USA, I was able to change and adjust her medicines last fall so that her glucose levels decreased significantly. When I first arrived, her glucose levels were consistently very high; often higher than the machine could read (which is over 500). To make things worse, Rosa is unable to read or write, and she is extremely poor and lives in a very dangerous neighborhood.

Now, as you know, I'm not with TSH, but Rosa is. Rosa has come here to our new ministry just about every Sunday afternoon since I've been here for me to check her glucose levels and see how she's doing. Since my arrival, her glucose readings have always been over 450 (the medicines I left with her last fall ran out long ago.) She needs 2 medications, and I have about 2 more months left of 1 of those medicines (glyburide). The other medicine (metformin) I don't have. Sure, I can buy enough medicine to get her though this week, this month, next month...but this is a lifetime issue, so we (at Groundwork Guatemala) need to think through this carefully ahead of time. We'd like to see the other ministry, where Rosa works, to take some responsibility. Rosa is a little over 3 months pregnant and today she weighs 110 pounds. She's fights with nausea nearly every morning, and sometimes she is dizzy. Today she tells me about some other pain and I was able to determine that she has a urinary infection. However, the antibiotics I would normally use are not recommended for pregnant women. Additionally, it seems she has pink eye.

Having recently watched 2 "normal" Guatemalan families go through the delivery of a newborn, I've learned some things. For example, if the mom can get to any public hospital then she can deliver at the hospital with little to no cost, except for the medicines she will need after the baby is born. No visitors, including the dad are allowed in the delivery room. Only 1 visitor is allowed at a time, which includes the dad. Visiting hours are strictly upheld...even to the point of not allowing Julian (dad) to be in the hospital when Lucy (his wife) delivered the baby near 5am because visiting hours started at 8am. The moms share a ward, usually about 6 to a room, thus no room for a lot of visitors. The mom normally goes home the day after delivery if all is going well. Guatemalans usually live in the midst of a lot of family members. Often mom, dad, siblings and their wives and children and grandparents all live in the same house. Usually the wife goes and lives with her husband's family. Therefore, there are usually plenty of hands to help the mom when she comes home.

Knowing all of this caused me to ask Rosa who was going to help her after she delivers...which is anticipated to be around Sept 8th. Rosa said she didn't wasn't going to have any help. Her mom died, she doesn't see her dad, and her sister lives too far away and has several small children. She told me she didn't have aunts, nieces, cousins, etc. to help. Here's the clincher...just recently the dad (not legally her spouse) that lives with her and her 2 children, said that the child is not his and therefore he has no responsibility. I doubt Rosa even knows about DNA testing, and she couldn't afford it anyhow. Rosa claims there has been no other man in her life, and he is the dad. She said this has caused her home to be particularly stressful these days. And obviously she is not anticipating any assistance from him. She also said that this same guy claimed that Rosa's 12 yr old daughter (who was sitting beside her during the conversation with me today) was not his either. As a matter of fact, he would not take this young girl to the doctor this week (bronchitis), nor would he buy her the necessary medicine. Rosa missed a day from work to take her to the MD, but found that the medicines would cost her nearly a week’s worth of pay, so she didn't get it. Thanks to God above, I had the antibiotic that the child needed. I was glad to finally be able to do something to help this lady who had become my friend.

Ultimately I asked Rosa and her daughter if they were Christians, and they replied yes. I told them that I believed Jesus Christ was in control of everything and He has a plan for each of our lives, and then I prayed with them. Now I just have to remind myself that I have given this to Him and He will guide me and Rosa in the things we should do. Please keep Rosa in your heart and in your prayers, and pray that I would clearly understand how I can best serve Rosa