Link for Health

UPDATE: Karla’s next treatment in the United States will be arranged by a private donor in October. She will be traveling to Denver for further care.

The following patient’s care is being coordinated by the group, From Houses to Homes (FHTH). If you have any leads or ideas for them, please email them at info@fromhousestohomes.org.

Karla, 7 years old, has a Venous Vascular Malformation. FHTH is in the process of searching for a MD to help her. Previously, she had visited a hospital in Colorado for treatment, and although the treatment shrunk the tumor, it has returned to its current size. If you have any information that can help them locate the appropriate Doctor/Specialists for treatment please either email them at the address above, or leave a comment here.  

If you choose to make a donation to help, go to their website (www.fromhousestohomes.org) and click on the PayPal button on the right-hand side of their home page.

Do you remember this post?  Leonel Culan, the man who became a paraplegic and whose family was in terrible shape, is coming home today!   He will be returning to  a much different home, he has beds, the floor is cemented, they have a kitchen put in, the bathroom is under progress, the family has food, and the entrance way is cemented.   There is still more work we are doing but it will certainly cheer him up to come home and find such a difference.  A huge plus is all but a couple of his children are now sponsored to go to school.  Thank you everyone who has made such a difference to this family’s life!

Children of the Americas screened a 17 yr old female from Guatemala City who is in need of extensive contracture releases.  She was assessed on January 24th by Jody Greenlee, RN and photos are available.

Adriana suffered extensive third degree burns to her face, neck, arms and abdomen one year ago when a gas lamp exploded in her home.  Her wounds healed but she has had no burn garments, contracture releases, or physical therapy. Heavy keloid formation has caused painful neck contractions that are causing upper vertebrae issues.

Contact information available. Children of the Americas can donate plastic surgery in January 2011, but it would be advantageous to Adriana to have releases done sooner.

If you have any leads for us, please click on the “Comment” button, below – or email Jody Greenlee at green71957@aol.com.

Our friends at Mayan Families are trying to help a hard-working family in the Panajachel area get back on its feet.  Please read on about the family’s needs, and either click on the “Contact Us” button above, or use the email address below if you have any ideas.

Leonel Culan is 37 years old. On December 3rd while he was working as a builder’s assistant he fell 3 meters off a rock wall. His life changed forever and he became a parapalegic. Leonel is in the hospital in Solola. He is depressed about his own situation and terribly worried about how his family will survive. He lives in San Lucas Toliman and has seven children. His wife is Marta Elisa, 33yrs old. She did not have the chance to go to school and does not know how to read or write. She washes clothes by hand in private houses and earns $8 US per week when she can get the work. The money that the family is now earning is not enough for them to cover their costs. Often they have to go into the mountains and find herbs to eat. Their main diet now is tortillas with salt.

They own the house they live in. It is in very bad shape. They have one room made of cement block. They have one dilapidated kitchen made of tin. They pay $7 US per month for electricity.  They do not have water connected and have to go to the lake to bring drinking water and wash their clothes. The lake is now suffering pollution and people are advised not to drink from it but this family cannot afford to buy drinking water. They do not have an onil stove. They cook over a wood burning stove. They have two chairs. They have one table. They have two beds but it is a hard plank bed that does not have a mattress. The other bed is a wire base but they do not have any mattress. They do not have drainage. They have not been able to afford to connect the water or to buy a pila, which is a 2 sided sink and an essential part of a Guatemalan household.

The father will be released from the hospital shortly and his situation is very desperate. The family does not have enough to eat. The living conditions are very unsanitary. They need beds, food, clothing, the floor needs cementing, they need the water connected and they need to have a water filter. The father will need medical support if he is going to be able to survive with the care that he will receive at home. This family was living very hand to mouth before this accident but now their situation is very, very difficult. If anyone can help with any of these needs for this family, it would be a huge blessing for them.

If you have any suggestions for this family, please contact Sharon Smart-Poage at Sharon@MayanFamilies.org.

Any medical professionals interested in helping out in Haiti, please read this announcement from Partners in Health. If you’re not a medical professional, you can still spread the word!

Update: January 13, 2010, 7:30pm
Wanted: Surgeons, nurses, and other medical personnel to help in Haiti

As patients flood to our sites from Port-au-Prince, we’re finding ourselves in need of both medical personnel and supplies. In particular, we need surgeons (especially trauma/orthopedic surgeons), ER doctors and nurses, and full surgical teams (including anesthesiologists, scrub and post-op nurses, and nurse anesthetists).  If you are a health professional interested in volunteering, please send an email to volunteer@pih.org with information on your credentials, language capabilities (Haitian Creole or French desired), availability, and contact information.