|
We had no internet access when I first woke up today. Now that daylight savings time has ended at home, the time zones are synched up. This means that I start work an hour later. By the time I was ready to log in at 8:30 a.m., access had been restored, so that was perfect!
This morning we ate our Day of the Dead bread figures with breakfast. Breakfast was one of my favorites: homemade crepes filled with raspberry jam. Delicious! I didn't realize that Craig didn't finish all of his bread horse. The next time I went into the casita, I found the horsehead tucked neatly into my bed. Well, Craig is the kids' Achi Taita (Godfather)...so once we had stopped laughing, we had a little fun with Photoshop...  This afternoon, we would visit the traditional healer in Cotacachi for a consultation about Craig's MS. Antonio had told us that we had an appointment at 5:00 p.m. After discussing logistics, we agreed that I would work until 4 p.m., and we would take the 4:30 bus to Cotacachi. At 2:15, Antonio returned home, and asked if we were ready to go. This took us aback, I thought I had almost another 2 hours to work. But he said it was best to go now. And Sisa and Rosa would be joining us because they had to go to Cotacachi for a cooking class. So I informed my boss that I would log in when I get back. I made a quick stop in the casita to gather whatever I might need to take with me to Cotacachi. Antonio called to us to hurry to catch the bus. The bus stops right in front of the house, so we thought we'd be able to make it easily. But we hadn't known that the street had been closed due to the beginning of the sewer line installation project. Antonio motioned that we would have to catch the bus up in front of the kids' school. We saw interlocking concrete pipe segments lined up on the side of the road as we jogged (to the best of our ability) up to the school. Between the heat and the altitude, we were dying when we finally got to the bus. Sometimes Antonio doesn't realize that this type of fast movement is exactly what Craig can't do. I suspect that it is because Antonio himself is so tough...he has had back injuries, etc., and he just powers through. I don't think he realizes that Craig is physically incapable of moving that quickly even if he wanted to. We were so glad that there were seats available on the bus, because we were wheezing and needed to relax and catch our breath. The ride was especially long; it had to take a circuitous route since our street was closed. We walked two blocks from the bus station to the traditional medicine clinic. We arrived at around 3 o'clock and took a seat in the waiting room. Sisa and Rosa then went off to their cooking class. The folks in the waiting room (including a woman from Morochos and her two young sons) were very friendly and there was a lot of conversation. Very different from a waiting room at home! As we waited and observed, we realized that the clinic works partially by appointment and partially first-come first-served. We had an appointment for 5 p.m., but arriving early helps to ensure that you will be seen. At 4 o'clock, we were called in to see the healer. Arriving early had paid off. We were brought into a little room. There were portraits of the Virgin Mary on the wall, as well as a crucifix. The healer (dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but with his long black hair tied back in the traditional Kichwa ponytail) sat in front of a large wooden trunk, and there was a locked glass cabinet containing herbal supplements. We had explained Craig's MS to him when we made the appointment on Monday (thank you, Google translate), since MS is not endemic to equatorial regions. The healer admitted that he is not capable of curing the disease, but said that he can certainly help to alleviate the symptoms. He told us we needed to buy a candle for 30 cents. Since Craig's MS mostly affects his right side, the healer rubbed the candle along Craig's right side and then had Craig blow on the candle. The healer then lit the candle and observed the flame, fanning it a bit with his hands. He then got a big smile on his face and said that he knew just what the problem is: work-related stress. He said that stress affects the veins, arteries, and capillaries on one side of the midline of the body. He said that Craig also suffers from facial paralysis, as he thought one side of Craig's face was not as perky as the other. He told us that he has just the cocktail of herbal supplements to help Craig. He consulted some books and charts for dosages, and provided us with some liquid solutions, powders, and capsules that Craig should take for 30 days. He said that Craig also needs exercise and to increase his flexibility. When we told him that we do yoga multiple times per week at home, his eyes lit up. He was very happy and said that is very good for the mind as well as the body. We told him that Craig is no longer working, and he said that was also good. He thinks that the illness stems from residual work-related stress, worry, and negative thoughts. He reinforced the importance of positive thinking and said that these herbal supplements will help with that. We were with him for a full hour. After the appointment, he gave us the candle, and we went into an adjoining shrine, where Craig lit the candle and placed it in front of a Cathlolic altar. The whole experience was a fascinating mixture of traditional Kichwa herbal knowledge and Catholic faith. Craig will start his herbal regimen when we get home. (Once the container of liquid is opened, it requires refrigeration, so we decided to wait until we got home). It can't hurt, and you never know! After our appointment, we went next door to the UNORCAC (Union de Organizaciones Campesinas Indigenas de Cotacachi) facility where Rosa and some other Kichwa women involved in native tourism were taking a cooking class. Sisa seemed to have a little crush on the handsome chef who was teaching them to make sweet potato tamales. At 5:30, we took a bus to Quiroga, and then changed buses to get to Morochos. The Morochos bus was full, but I got a seat in the last row and had a nice conversation with a woman named Maria and her daughter Sisa. Our road was closed off with caution tape, so the bus had to go a roundabout way and dropped us off at the school. We walked back to the house in the dark, dodging cows coming in the other direction. I logged in to work to finish off my workday. Yupanqui was in a very sweet mood tonight. We ate dinner: beef, salad, rice, and sweet corn, with fresh pineapple juice to drink. We also ate the sweet potato tamales from the cooking class, and they were absolutely delicious. Now that Rosa had learned to make them, Antonio said that they would be on the menu rotation the next time we visit. After dinner, the family prepared another vapor bath for Craig. After soaking the steam into his legs, he washed with the herb-infused water and then went straight to bed, per Rosa's instruction. I logged into my computer to find a miracle waiting... We are indebted to Anna Taft! When she visited us a week ago today, we explained the surgeries that Tayanta has had for her eyes, and that she still needs at least one more surgery to correct her strabismus (crossed eyes). A lightbulb went off in Anna's head and she said that one of her colleagues is involved with a clinic to provide strabismus surgery. She contacted her colleague Virginia and told her about Tayanta, and asked her to get in touch with us if there was a possibility of getting Tayanta into the program. At 10 o'clock, I checked my e-mail and had a message from Virginia and Anna saying that Tayanta may qualify for the program, but she would need to get to Quito tomorrow for preliminary tests. If the test results are favorable, she could get the surgery Friday! Although the family had already closed up the house for the night, we knew that this was information they would be overjoyed to receive. This kind of surgery is best done when children are very young, so the sooner that 3-year-old Tayanta could get the surgery, the better! Getting the surgery through the public health system is inexpensive, but involves a lot of red tape and a wait time of one to two years. It could be done sooner in a private hospital, but it would be very expensive. So I knocked on their door and showed them the e-mail. They were very excited and called Virginia, apologizing for calling so late. She said that she would meet them in Otavalo in the morning and they could then take the bus to Quito for the medical exam. The family was ecstatic, and they immediately got Tayanta's paperwork and medical history together so that they could bring it to the hospital. I went back to the room and excitedly explained to Craig what had happened. We decided that we would wake up early in the morning to see them off. We wanted to give her a kiss before her potential surgery, because it could be a couple of days before we see her again. |
 Tayanta delivers flowers while I work  Hugging Tayanta  The traditional healer looks into his wooden chest  The traditional healer inspects the candle that Craig had rubbed on the affected side of his body.  The traditional healer consults his books.  Craig lights his candle in a shrine following the his appointment with the traditional healer  Yupanqui and Craig enjoy sweet potato tamales from Rosa's cooking class 
|
|
 |
|
 |
