It is Not All Laughing Children and Happy Endings

A Better World is supporting rural Bolivia with a health fund. Marg and Jake Hoogland live and work deep in the jungle--literally at the end of the road. There are very limited medical facilities within 3 or 4 hours' drive of the farm in their area. Many of the homesteaders have never been to Santa Cruz (the nearest big city), and they would not have the funds or contacts necessary to obtain medical help even if they were able to get to the city.

The Rural Health fund was established by ABW to be administered by Marg and Jake. Having a Canadian couple living in the community insures that the people who are truly in need of help can get it, and reduces the chances of waste and corruption. This fund is to help with testing and treatments of conditions past what the local clinics can deal with.

Earlier this year Marg contacted me about a little boy in their community that was not responding to local treatments, and slowly going down hill. His name was Jhonny, and he was 10 years olds. He was smart and a leader in his family, and at school. He was all boy, climbing trees, running fast, and coercing his sibling into trying to keep up. When Jhonny did not show up at a community function, Marg became concerned. She went to see Jhonny and he was in a very poor state. Not walking, dehydrated, and with bad headaches. The family had taken him to the local clinic again very recently, and he was giving Milk of Magnesia.

Jhonny's House

Marg contacted me and suggested that this would be the first case for the ABW rural health fund. I agreed, and the Hooglands dropped what they were doing and took Jhonny and his mother to the children’s hospital in Santa Cruz. This was the beginning of a 6 week stay for Jhonny, his mother (8 months pregnant), and Marg. You see, Jhonny had a brain tumor, a big brain tumor. It was determined that the tumor was operable if there was money to cover the bills… There was no question that this tumor would be fatal and probable soon. Marg and I had the conversation about draining the entire health fund on one little boy, instead of helping 25 people in the community. These are judgment calls that have to happen in a country like Bolivia, and that is the sad part. My cousin’s youngest son had a brain tumor, operable, and at no point did anyone say “should we sped the money, or just let him die”.

Marg and Jhonny in the Childrens Hospital

This was a no brainer for me! Spend the money and give the kid a chance! Jhonny ended up having 6 surgeries in 6 weeks, and contracted chicken pocks to boot! The total hospital bill was around $5,000.00.

I flew to Bolivia in August to start arrangements for a group trip in May 09. On my first day in Bolivia Marg and Jake took me to see Jhonny in the hospital. They were hiring someone to be with Jhonny at night as Marg and Jake were coming with me. Jhonny had his bandages off for the first time and was looking thin, but responsive. He was squeezing a tube of toothpaste, and his eyes would flutter open. He responded to touch on his feet, and the doctors were very hopeful about his condition.

Jhonny's mom Erselia and Marg

We left the hospital to get some food and talk about the busy week to come. Marg received a call to return to the hospital. Turns out the Jhonnys heart stopped, and he died. Six operations and chicken pock were just too much for his little body. Death in a tropical country leads to its own set of problems. We returned to the hospital to have the body released. This meant paying the bill in full, and getting the forms to transport Jhonnys body. A coffin would be about 600 B ($95.00 Can) and Jhonnys mother said she just couldn’t afford that, so we would just wrap him in a blanket and put him in the back of the truck…. Not if I can help it, I thought. It turns out there are all night coffin stores near the hospital, so off Jake and I went.

After a long terrifying drive in the middle of the night, we lay Jhonny in his coffin on the alter of the local church for a day of service before the burial. Jake and I went to his house to get a little sleep before to burial. 51 hours had past since I had seen a bed, and that one had been in Canada. 51 hours that remolded who I am, and clarified why I try. Jhonnys mother was very upset that we spent all this money, and Jhonny died anyway. She felt badly and was concerned that we wasted all that money. She was devastated by Jhonnys passing, but was worried we would think we wasted the money. Wasted the money??? That somehow she had let the donors down, because Jhonny died???

Carrying Jhonny to the graveyard

I have replayed this over and over in my mind since returning to Canada. This was an operable, benign tumor in the head of a 10 year old boy. How could we not give this boy a chance? If this was your son, would you say, “sorry, too much money” and let him die? No, of course not. This family did not have the money (about 2 years wages for them) and I am not a big believer in throwing cash at problems, but this is the perfect example of where money is all that was needed to give Jhonny a chance because we had Marg and Jake on the ground willing to help.

We do not win them all, but that should not deter us from trying. You cannot win if you don’t try. I know we like to read stories about happily ever after, but there is much to be learned from the journey as well. We tried, and I would try again given the same circumstance. The rural Bolivia fund is now empty, and I would like to double it for next year. Please consider supporting this activity, we are very lucky to have Marg and Jake on the ground to administer this fund. I don’t think you could get better bang for your buck anywhere else.

For more information on Jhonny or the Hooglands see
http://www.hooglandsinbolivia.blogspot.com/

To donate, follow the link below, and please specify Rural Bolivia,Thanks!

http://www.a-better-world.ca/

Gordon Gilchrist
Technical coordinator
A Better World

Instructor
Olds College
ggilchrist@oldscollege.ca

Blogs:
http://gordonatabw.blogspot.com/
http://gordatoldscollege.blogspot.com/