Blowouts; Tires and Brains

Last Thursday, Gerardo and I along with my beautiful bride, Wanda, and my lovely daughters, Brittney and Krishauna, loaded up and headed up to the communities of San Pedro and San Pablo. We had actually started this journey the week before but turned around due to a leaking radiator and overheating (the 4-Runner, not me). My mechanic got it repaired, so we were heading out again.

The trip went uneventfully until we were starting to head down the mountain to the lake. Our windows were down and we were enjoying a cool breeze when I heard the disturbing sound of a blowout in my left rear tire. We pulled over to the side and Gerardo laid a branch in the road (the Guatemalan equivalent of a traffic cone) and we started to work.

I carry a tire plug kit and a battery powered compressor, but quickly determined that this tire could not be patched. There was a one-inch hole in the tread, and no plug would fill it. So we quickly set to work putting on the spare. Once we got the tire from underneath the vehicle, Gerardo noticed it was low on air, but I assured him we had the compressor and would inflate it once it was on the vehicle. So, we put it on and I started inflating the tire. After 15 minutes of trying I realized that I could not get it above 23 psi and wondered what the problem was. When I attempted to remove the compressor from the valve stem I found out. The entire metal valve assembly came out of the valve stem and air started spewing. My immediate response was to shove the valve back in and make the profound statement, “Well, that’s not good.” To which Gerardo responded in an equally profound manner, “No, it’s not.”

After some head scratching and thinking, I decided to shove the valve into the stem as far as it would go and hold it in place with pliers while re-inflating the tire to the maximum 23 psi. I then carefully used Gorilla Tape (duct tape on steroids) to tape the valve to the valve stem. We then drove gently (as gently as Guatemalan roads and potholes allow) until we found a pinchazo (tire repair shop) where they replaced the valve stem and inflated the tire to the proper psi. Whew! Four new tires are in the near future.

We rolled into San Pedro much later than expected and settle in at Pastor Antonio’s house for the night. After quick supper and a refreshing shower to wash off the dust and grime from our tire adventure, we headed to bed.

The next morning we headed back over to San Pablo where we met up with Dick Rutgers and two of his boys. After my last trip to the lake I had contacted him about seating a teenager girl, Apolonia, in a wheelchair. When we met her I saw how twisted her back was and I quickly decided that this was a job for Dick. Her chair required carving out a special foam back and my skills and knowledge wasn’t nearly sufficient. So, we all went to her home, picked up Apolonia and her sister, and took them over to Pastor Antonio’s church where they would have room to work.

Dick spent a couple of hours getting just the right fit for her. She still requires a few adjustments and some added parts, so Dick will be visiting again in a month, but for now she is sitting pretty. Thanks, Dick, for getting her this chair and doing such a great job of seating her! (It’s much easier to be complimentary of Dick when I am driving my own vehicle and not subject to his death-defying driving.)

While Dick was seating Apolonia, we started visiting families with a young man named Michel. Through a God appointment we met him during our last trip to the area and found out that he knows almost everyone in San Pablo. He also knows a lot of families who have children with special needs. So, he had nine families he wanted us to visit and evaluate.

We got off to a rough start at the first two homes we visited, and the reason was the same for both families. Apparently there had been a few groups of Americans who had come through and visited them, promising them long term help. And, in each case, no help ever came. As a result, both families told us that they weren’t sure we were really going to help. The mother of one little girl who needs a wheelchair and has been on the receiving end of several such broken promises told us, “If you are really here to help, God bless you. If you are not, God forgive you.”

I have always known it is important that we keep our word, but that was driven home in a very real way during this trip. We represent a God of truth who always keeps His promises. As a result, we must always speak the truth and keep our promises. That means being careful what we promise and following-through when we do.

After we got past their initial concerns and explained that we were there to help, they began to open up to us. It helped when we explained to them that Wanda and I have two children with special needs. That seems to instantly create a bond of trust and camaraderie. But even as they became more open, communication was still difficult because most of the people in that area speak Tz’utujil, not Spanish. And, since my Spanish is still weak, I would speak…Gerardo would translate to Spanish…Michel would translate to Tz’utujil…the family would speak…Michel would translate back to Spanish… and (if I did not understand the Spanish) Gerardo would translate it to English. Whew! That lengthened our visits considerably.

First we visited with Mariano, a 14 year old with learning disabilities. Their story was heartbreaking. Last month their seven month old daughter died for lack of medical care. She had a heart condition, so they took her to a clinic that specializes in hearts and works with low-income families. Unfortunately, someone who does not like their family told the clinic that they were rich and could afford to pay for the treatment, so the clinic would not treat her. She died soon after. They told us this story with tears in their eyes as we sat in their home made of mud bricks and bamboo with a mud floor. The father makes a total of Q.500 ($64) a month that he uses to support his household of 10 people. And because of this, combined with oppression and lies, their daughter died.

Mariano’s family was interested in arranging special education for him because he had not been doing well in regular schools, but as we talked we discovered some greater concerns. On a regular basis he has vision problems in which his sight “goes dark” and he is unable to see. These episodes are almost always accompanied by severe headaches behind his one eye and extending up to his forehead. These can be signs of serious neurological issues, so we decided that we needed to arrange for him to see a neurologist. We gave them money for bus fare and arranged for them to come to Antigua to see the neurologist in Hermano Pedro.

They arrived in Chimaltenango yesterday and we picked them up and took them to the home of friends in Antigua. They provided meals and lodging for them last night and this morning and picked them up at 6:30 am to take them to HP. My friend, Xiamara, who works in Hermano Pedro arranged to have a number waiting for us so that they did not have to wait a long time to see the pediatrician, from which they had to get a referral. After seeing the doctor they were referred to the neurologist, so they went to his office and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually the receptionist told them that he had left early and they would need to make an appointment for another day. Sigh. We had brought Mariano all the way down to Antigua because they assured us that he attended patients on Monday through Thursday, but we had to return them home without seeing the neurologist because he decided to leave early. I wish I could tell you that this is rare here, but it is not. We now have an appointment for him on February 19, and we will repeat the whole process again.

The next home we visited had a beautiful little girl named Maria. This nine year old has cerebral palsy, club feet, and an infectious smile and laugh that stole our hearts right away. Once we got past the initial trust issues, her mother, Concepción, warmed up and opened up. Their struggles have been severe over the years, but she loves her daughter deeply. Her greatest desire and need is for a wheelchair for Maria, but is unable to afford one. I mentioned earlier that we are careful in what we promise, but this is a promise that I made…we will get Maria a wheelchair and deliver it by the first week in March, whether we find a sponsor or not. I would also like to provide their family with a monthly food basket and diapers. If you would be willing to sponsor Maria for the cost of a custom chair ($200) or for the monthly food and diapers ($35 a month) please e-mail me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.

Next we visited Pablo, a 10 year old boy who suffers from seizures and cognitive delays and is deaf. His seizures have been worsening in the last few months and, as a result, he is regressing in development. His story, along with the next two families, highlight the incredible lack of healthcare for the typical Guatemalan family. In the US, when a person is diagnosed with a seizure disorders they are scheduled for regular neurological appointments to assure that their seizures remain under control. Through regular EEG’s, seizure activity is often diagnosed before it is observed and medication is changed or increased. In Guatemala, most families cannot afford that kind of follow-up or testing. Even when the seizures get severe families cannot afford to pay for a neurologist appointment and EEG, so they are powerless to stop them.

So, once again, we arranged for another person to come to Antigua for neurological evaluation. His dad is planning to bring him next week.

The next situation was another heart-breaking one. Little Lucia is seven and has severe CP. Until three months ago she could sit and lie down peacefully, but that all changed when she had a series of very severe seizures that left her muscle tone extremely high. As a result, her back is now arched backwards and she can no longer even lie flat on a bed. She is in pain and does not sleep well as her muscles are constantly seizing. Her mother kept crying as she talked to us. Like Pablo, the lack of neurological care had brought her to this state.

And you know the rest of the story. We arranged for her to come to Antigua to see the doctor at HP and hopefully receive treatment to ease her suffering.

The last person we visited was Ana, a 28 year old with cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. Until 10 months ago, she could walk and talk. We found her curled in a ball and unresponsive on a hammock. Her muscles were seized tightly and she would occasionally cry out in pain. Like the previous children, she suffered a series of severe seizures last year that left her in this state. Her family felt powerless to stop the them and help her suffering.

So, yet again, we arranged for her brother and mother to bring her to HP to see the neurologist. Are you seeing a pattern here?

By this time we were all wiped out and the five visits had taken far longer than we had planned. As a result, we told Michel that we would visit the other four families next month and we loaded up and headed for home.

As I drove, I had time to think, which is usually a bad thing. And here is what I thought:

Each time we made arrangements for a trip to HP we provided them with Q.100 to cover the bus fare to Chimaltenango. To make it easier on the families, we drive there and meet them, drive them back to Antigua and take them to the family that lodges and feeds them. For a one night stay we give the family Q.150 for two people or Q.200 for three people. We then pay for their doctor’s visit and neurological visit, provide them with lunch, and then pay for their tests which usually run Q.300-1000, depending on the tests that are ordered. Then we give them money for the return trip on the bus. So, as I was arranging for these visits, my mind was keeping a running tab. The average cost per family is Q1200.00 ($154.00) times 4 families equals Q.4800.00 ($616.00). (Okay, I don’t do math real well in my head, so what I actually thought was, “Four families times a lot equals a whole lot!”) And I felt worry began to creep in as we drove back home.

When I returned home I found messages from PayPal notifying me of three unexpected donations. Their combined total was $900.00. And God playfully slapped me on the back of my head and said, “Dude, I’ve got your back!” (Okay, I elaborated a little with the use of the word “dude” and the California surfer accent. But He did, indeed, let me know that my back was covered.)

And so, this toddler continues to learn more and more about the faithfulness of God and the resources of heaven. Please join me in praying for each of these families and asking Him to help us to faithfully keep our promises.

Blessings from San Antonio Aguas Calientes!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew