Maria Margarita

(A-103) Status: Not Sponsored
Needs: meal sponsorship, medical assistance, water filter, 2 full mattresses, Onil stove
To help, click here. To sponsor Maria for $35 a month, click here.
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.  

Her husband sells flowers, but since he was diagnosed diabetic a year ago, and since Maria became extremely ill some months ago, the little made from flower sales has failed to keep them healthy.

Maria has been cooking over an open fire all her life; she says this is why she has trouble talking. A few months ago, after going to the doctor for chest pains, she was found to have a serious heart condition and needed open-heart surgery. However, the $1,116 operation, as well as the hundreds of dollars otherwise incurred from medical tests and transportation to the Capital's hospital, was too large a cost for the family.

Instead, she is taking an array of pills to help with her heart.

Her son, who is a builder's assistant, is trying to help his parents with these costs, but his salary barely covers the expenses of his own home.

The house fits two beds without mattresses, shared by the elderly couple and one of their grandchildren. They must carry their water from the community pila, and do not have a place to wash themselves, their dishes or clothing.

If you would like to help Maria with the costs of her medicine, or support her in the meal program, please visit the links provided under the photo. Thank you for your support!