Petrona Pablo

(A-88) Status: Not Sponsored
Needs: Medical attention at $120, meal sponsorship, caretaker
To help: www.mayanfamilies.org/donatenow "A-88 [write needs, sponsorship etc.]"
To sponsor her for meals at $35 a month, visit: http://mayanfamilies.org/DonateMonthly.aspx
UPDATE May 24, 2013: Petrona received one month of food!
UPDATE May 27, 2013: Petrona's medicines and appointments cost $115 US. If you can help her with this huge cost, it will be so helpful!
UPDATE June 17, 2013: Petrona received a mattress, help with gas for her stove and $115 for her medical needs! 
UPDATE August 13, 2013: Petrona received a water filter and table for the filter as well as sponsorship for two months of food! Thank you so much!
UPDATE September 12, 2013: Petrona has a problem with nerves in her neck which cause her pain. We are looking for $120 US for her doctors appointments and injections to help with her neck.

For more stories and photos of the ancianos in the Feeding Program, please consider purchasing a book compiled of our participants. All profits go to the Elderly. You can preview the book here. 

We knock on Petrona's door loudly and call her name several times before she comes to the door, opens it, then falls into my arms weeping. "The pain, the pain!" Her muscles are so cramped that even walking to the door is too much.  "I can't leave, I'm so afraid of falling."

She's the only one home; her kids-- one son drinks, the other works early and late, the other leaves food once in a while but "comes tired from work, she can't care for me. They are all so far from me--" do not have the means to help their aging mother.

She used to walk to the Mayan Families office to receive her meals, but for the last month and a half, her muscle cramps have been so bad that she cannot get out of bed. She has lost a lot of weight, and cannot cook for herself. She has had no gas for her stove for over a week, and has no water filter, so drinks the dirty water from the tap even without boiling it. Her bed does not offer much comfort, as a thin piece of sponge sits over the wooden boards.

Until recently, she also washed dishes for $0.60 US a day "when there were people."

Yesterday, she tried to walk from her home to Mayan Families to eat, since she didn't want to be at home anymore by herself. She didn't make it-- she had trouble walking the few short blocks, got very dizzy, and had to be taken to a clinic.

She was given an injection to calm her nerves and tendons, whose tension was causing the painful cramps. She was prescribed pills for pain and tension. She had another follow-up appointment today and will again tomorrow to see what kind of medicines they can give long-term. Each consult costs her $10, and with the medicines she has already incurred almost $80. She does not have the money to cover these costs. If you can help Petrona with medical costs, sponsorship or any of the needs stated above, please visit the links under the photo.

Thank you so much for your support!