A Mother's Funeral Part 2

Today the news channel that I watch passed the second part of the report I was so interested in. Now the report is about two women who died leaving 7 children behind. In many areas in Guerrero they seek a shawman, not professional medical care. In both cases their husband did not let the get treated by a medical proessional. His mind frame isthe following: If she will die, then let her die, I will find another wife, and if she dies I will find another. A baby without their mother is 10 times as likely of dying within their first year than those who have their mothers. Guerrero's pregnant woemn are the women who die the most in the country! 60% of women do not seek medical care even though there are medical brigades who go to their communities. Men will not let their wifes be seen. The doctors that go to the communites have to hike mountains, cross rivers with these women on their backs, and plead and beg to the whole family so they can let their loved one be seen. Sometimes they take 2 to 3 hours because they have to convince everyone, including the in laws. Some families prefer to let their women die at home than having a medical bill to take care of. There is an organization that seeks to diminish the deaths among pregnant women; from 1990 to 2005 they were able to reduce deaths by 36%. The sad part is that the majoity of the incidents where women die could have been prevented or taken care of; these women should be alive. Some doctors do not even want to go because at times the families in these communites do not even have food to feed themselves. An intern stated that men only see women as objects. He sees children (girls) of 11 and 12 years old getting married. A young girl is now in intensive care, she is only 16 and brain dead. Because of the lack of good health care, a loving and caring husband, medical equipment, professional staff, and transportation 4,000 women and 30,000 children died within the last 3 years.

A Mother's Funeral

Today in the morning I was watching the news and I encountered some news that was very bad to me. Unfortunately health care is horrible in Mexico. According to the report 82% of women who die due to labor die in hospitals. 1 in every 4 women that go to the hospital to their obstetrician pass away due to negligence when in Mexico City all hospitals are within one hour away from each other. 1 out of 3 women go to more than one hospital before delivering because the hospitals will not recieve them. The report was done on a mother of three who passed away 18 days after her youngest son was born. This lady was not able to move for 15 days!Special exams such as MRI's and such are only done on weekdays on an appointment basis because they are only for "emergencies." Well, as far as I know.... EMERGENCIES are not timed, they happen ANYTIME, including WEEKENDS!!! So if so meone were to have an emeregency during a Saturday or Sunday, well, the most likely thing that will happen to them is DEATH! This woman needed an exam done, and they failed to follow through. They even failed to put on her birth certificate that her death was related to a birth. As they were making the report there was a women in labor outside of the hospital. She looked humble and was crying due to the unbearable pain. This women was 41 weeks pregnant and she was told to go outside and walk. The report was at 8:00 in the morning, and she had been in labor since 12 a.m. Don't they know that this women and her baby can die? Don't they know that they can affect their lives greatly? Unfortunately my mother went through part of this situation and was onthe verge of dying. It really makes me mad that doctors and hospital staff can be so negligent. Miguel was also a volunteer paremedic (all paramedics and firefighters are volunteers in Mexico) and told me that they had to take a woman in labor to another state because no one would take her in. He also said that the elevators were broken in Celaya and maternity was on the third floor. So guess what? Women in labor had to go up 3 floors through the stairs in order to be seen. Private hospitals will not do this, but you have to come in with your deposit. If you look poor, they will not see you. It is a shame that Mexico's health care system is deplorable. Mexico is such a rich country and I always failed to see why it was a third world country until my grandmother was dying. The health care system there is horrid! There was no room and you basically have to know someone in order to get a bed. After that Mexico changed though my perspective, Mexico IS a third world country.

Post a Secret

Today as I was watching the news in spanish they were talking about Post a Secret. This is a website where anonymous people post their secrets, those secrets that they would not dare tell anyone they knew. I thought it was pretty cool. Check it out, maybe I will see your secret without even knowing! The site in English is: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Hoy estaba viendo Primero Noticias y mecionaron un website que se llama El mundo post secret.
Es un website donde gente anonima pone sus secretos, esos secretos que no le dirian a nadie que las los conoce. Se mi hizo interesante. Fijate en la pagina... alomejor luego vere un secreto tuyo sin ni siquiera saberlo! El sitio en Español es: www.elmundopostsecret.blogspot.com/

Father's Day

I would like to thank my father for helping me in becoming the person that I am. I know that I do not always demonstrate my appreciation, but he is a wonderful father. He is wise beyond his years and tries to share his wisdom with me even if I do not want to hear it. He is there to support me in all my decisions even if he does not quite agree with me. He is there to put himself last so my sister and I can be first. My dad rocks!!

Quisiera agredecer a mi padre por crearme y moldearme a la persona que soy hoy. Yo se que no siempre demuestro mi aprecio, pero el es un padre maravilloso. El es sabio y trata de compartir su sabiduria conmigo aun si no lo quiero escuchar. Esta ahi para apoyarme en todas mis decisions aun que no este de acuerdo. Siempre se pone al ultimp para poner a mi hermana y a mi primero. Mi padre es un padre bien padre!

Karely...

My good friend in Mexico is a month away from having a baby! Saturday was her baby shower and it was wondeful. Congratulations to Jaime and Carmen for their new loved one. Hopefully he will be born on my birthday!

Mi buena amiga en Piedras esta a un mes de tener un bebe! El Sabado fue so baby shower y estubo muy bonito. Felicidades a Jaime y Carmen por su el nuevo miembro de la familia! Ojala y que nasca en mi cumple... jeje

Johnston High School

Today I came upon very upsetting news. Johnston High School is being shut down by the Texas Education Agency. I am a proud graduate of Johnston High School and wish that it would remain open. I grew up in east Austin and wish to continue living here as I bought a home across the street from this school. Many young people will be left without hope with this closure. I still cannot even put my thoughts together. I know all of Austin and TEA thinks that Johnston is a waste of time along with it students, but it really is not. Johnston was left with little resources and it has not been since a few years ago that people started paying attention to the necesities that this community has. We cannot turn things around in a couple of years. Change takes time and Johnston was not given sufficient time. To those (up to today) current students, I salute and congratulate you for your effort in trying to keep our school open. You tried and that is what matters the most. Please keep on trying to make a positive effect in the community throughout your lives. You should remain motivated and try to make a change independently. EDUCATION is the key to you and your communities success. Without education it will be very chanllenging to change the system. Go Rams!!! Go!!! Go Rams!!! Go!!!!

Random thougts

I know... one picture has nothing to do with the other, but in my defense they are great pictures. The first picture is of a web that we have in front of our house, we don't really want to destroy it... it is a spider's home.

The other is of my grandfather... I love him dearly. In this picture he seems to be meditating. Perhaps he is meditating upon his life and the wisdom he has tried to leave us, perhaps he is thinking about family. Who knows what he is thinking... the good thing is that he is alive and well. Papi means the world to me.

Diana

My sister turned 16 years old on June 1st. It was 1992 when she came into our lives to fill it with joy, persistence and love. At such a young age she has so much power among those who sorround her... at such a young age she has taught a lot of people a lot of lessons. Every once in a while my family and I stop and think what things would be like if my sister were "normal," it is very hard to really think about it. What is "normal" anyway? It is when we stop and think of all the things that could have been and were not that we think of all the things that are and would not have been without my sister's special needs. We love the way we live our lives and we love Diana. We would not change her for the world! Without Diana we just would not have the motivation to do what we do. Diana is Everything. Everything is Diana.

Mi hermana cumplio 16 primaveras el primero de Junio. Fue en 1992 cuando ella llego a nuestras vidas y las lleno de felicidad, persistencia y amor. A una edad tan corta ella es una persona que tiene mucho poder sobre aquellas personas a su alrededor... le a ensenado tantas lecciones a tanta gente. De vez en cuando mi familia y yo pensamos que fuera de nosotros (colectivamente) si mi hermana fuera "normal," es muy dificil pensar en eso. Que es normal? Es cuando paramos a pensar que hubiera sido cuando pensamos en que "es" y no pudo haber sido si mi hermana no tubiera capacidades diferentes. Sin Diana no tubieramos la motivacion para conducir nuestras vida como la tenemos. Diana lo es todo. Todo lo es Diana.