Ramon Lopez Cumes (A-9)

Hi, everyone. Ronnie here with a guest (volunteer) post. I've been here at Mayan Families (MF) for just over a week, and as usual there has been a lot to do. As some of you might recall, I volunteered here with the Elderly Care Program (ECP) for a few months in late 2010, and (just like most anyone else who visits) I fell in love with the ancianos and the ECP. I don't think anyone was surprised to see me back.

MF staff have been up to their necks in work, so one thing I thought I'd help out with is profiling the ancianos, which frankly is always a treat. It's worth mentioning that the entire ECP is hardly scraping by with enough money to provide the ancianos with their daily meals-- The medical supplies and services that we used to provide to the elderly, to everyone's chagrin, have all but stopped due to lack of funds. We even had to let go of our medical coordinator, Dona Helen, because we couldn't pay her salary. It has been very hard telling the elderly that we can't give them their medicines or take them to the doctor.

But that's not what I wanted to focus on. I'm here to introduce you to the beloved ancianos in our program who do not have the medicine or medical attention to deal with serious illness and debilitating pain. I know that sounds intimidating, but $10 goes an incredibly long way in a place like Guatemala.

Ramon talking with Elisia of Mayan Families.
This is the main doorstep he sits at in
Panajachel, earning up to $1.10 daily.

First in line is don Ramon Lopez Cumes. Although I've already had the pleasure of chatting and laughing with Ramon over lunch the past week, I had a translator present with me for the more thorough interview because Ramon's primary language is Kaqchiquel.

Ramon is (well, according to his account--but not everyone really keeps track) 92 years old. He lives in Santa Catarina and, despite the leg pain that forced him into retirement from agriculture work, he walks miles and miles every day to Panajachel and back in order to beg for money--about 8-9 quetzales ($1.10) daily--to feed and care for his bedridden wife, Rosa. Rosa is 87 years old. Ramon told us that he and Rosa have been married for 80 years, and while the numbers are a little suspect, it has clearly been (or at least seems to have been) a very long time.

Together Ramos and Rosa have four daughters, all married, and four grandchildren, all residing in Santa Catarina. The family is close and visits at least weekly, but unfortunately they can hardly help out the grandparents. Only one of the sons-in-law has a (more or less) stable job, extracting and selling sand from the lake, but that is a very low-paying job. They daughters earn what they can with odd jobs, but it's not even enough for the kids. Once in a while the family brings Ramon and Rosa breakfast, but he still needs to go beg.

Ramon (right) hungrily enjoying with his friend Ramos (left)
the lunch provided to him by the Mayan Families. Ramon
packs up a lot of the ECP food and brings it to his
bedridden wife in Santa Catarina.

Ramon is the first in line in my profiling because, aside from the severe pain in his legs, he has told us of frequent and acute heart pains and palpitations that started recently. We're not just very worried for Ramon, but also for Rosa, who cannot get by without the little money that Ramon earns and the ECP food he saves in his little satchel and brings to her daily.

We believe that Ramon urgently needs medical attention. A doctor's visit and the proper heart and pain medicine would make a huge difference for his and Rosa's security and comfort. An initial consultation would cost just $10, and we estimate that medicine for the first two months would cost just $30. Please consider helping.

To make a contribution, click here and enter "A-9 Anciano Ramon Lopez Cumes" in the Other section. If we get the funds to pay for Ramon's medical consultation, we will of course keep you posted. Thank you so much for your time, and please stay tuned for more profiles.

Please help Manuel and Santiago have clean water

Manuel

Manuel (A25) and Santiago (A75) are both in need of water filters. They cannot afford to buy purified water. A filter costs $63 and will give the family clean water for up to two years, when the filter will need to be replaced (for just $44). We have used these filters with many families and even our own Mayan Families staff and can attest to the clean, fresh water that these filters provide. Please consider giving a filter to these gentlemen today!

Santiago

If you would like to make a one-time donation, please go to Donate Now and scroll down.  Enter your donation in the "Other $" box.  In the "Details" box, write "A25 Filter" for Manuel or "A75 Filter" for Santiago. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Thanks for helping our elderly!

We are very grateful to the many donors and volunteers who have helped our elderly! We have been doing home visits, checking heart rates, blood pressure, and weight. Many of our elderly suffer from chronic pain due to their life of lifting heavy loads, doing manual labor, and working in the fields. Many suffer from eye problems and loss of vision because they've worked in the strong sun all their lives and then gone home to cook over a fire which fills their home with smoke.

These circumstances have caused many physical consequences, but we are so happy to be able to offer them comfort and care, all thanks to your donations and support. Many of our elderly are still looking for monthly sponsorship. If you're at all interested, contact us at familyaid@mayanfamilies.org Thank you so much!

Great news for brothers Manuel and Miguel!

We're so happy to report that Manuel and Miguel have received enough money to have much-needed repairs done on their home! You may remember that these sweet brothers were forced to leave their home during our last rain storm because of flooding. Thanks to generous donors, we will repair the damage from last year's storm and build a ramp/blockade to prevent future flooding. Thank you so much for caring for these brothers!

Caring for our elderly

Serving the elderly in our community includes meeting several different needs. We want to help our elderly lead comfortable and dignified lives as they age. Many of our elderly are confined to their beds and struggle getting up and/or walking. As a result, many are in desperate needs of adult diapers. For just $60 you can give a 5 week supply of adult diapers and allow an elderly member to live in comfort. Please go to Donate Now and scroll down.  Enter your donation in the "Other $" box.  In the "Details" box, write "Elderly Care Program-Diapers". Thank you so much! 

Juana Tereta passed away

We are very sorry to inform that Juana Tereta, one of our dear member of our Elderly Care Program passed away last week.

She died peacefully at home.