Category Archives: Health

Health, Success Stories

Success Stories From the Field #10 – Alan Stands Again

3 years. More than 30 surgeries and months spent in the hospital. Alan finally got his prosthesis and is practicing walking. This is the story of real grit. Strength, tears, depth of grief and height of joy. And…perhaps we could call it a Miracle.

We have been a support to him in many ways including the tables for Cafe Howie and for the food bank visitors to sit. We also work with his partner Suley, who is now providing Gail administrative assistance with filing the receipts and some of the accounting tasks.

Alan has depended on his wheelchair to get to and from the the Foundation, and to all the other places. He also underwent surgery on his other leg which fortunately went well.

And here he stands. Upright after three years of being horizontal, more than thirty operations and countless hospital nights. And very much alive.

We are honored to have been part of it and thank him for bringing us along. I feel that we learned much more than we taught and gave much less than we got.

Health, Indigenous

Improving Health Services in Cabecar Indigenous Territory Alto Chirripo

We are excited to announce our expansion into a new area of the Cabecar Indigenous territory where we will be focusing on health services initially. In the past, our efforts were concentrated in what is known as the ‘Bajo Chirripo’ area This is closer to Limon and the Caribbean coast.

This new initiative focuses on ‘Alto Chirripo,’ located further upstream along the Chirripo River. This area is primarily accessible through the mountains of Turrialba and Grano de Oro.

In collaboration with the CCSS, the Swiss Embassy, the local Indigenous Development Association (ADI Cabecar Alto Chirripo), and the Ministerio de Trabajo, we are working to enhance the health services in this region.

Many health centers operated by the CCSS have deteriorated due to termites and weathering or are close to becoming inoperable. A total of 14 structures require renovation or rebuilding.

Regional CCSS Director, Don Vinicio, has been instrumental in contacting various organizations and advocating for funding from the CCSS Directors. His efforts have resulted in the successful rebuilding of three centers so far.

The CRHF has secured funding and provided designs that have been historically used in other indigenous areas to rebuild the Puesto de Salud Periódica in Ñari. These designs have proven to be durable, with some of our original structures serving communities for over 25 years.

Ñari is an indigenous community on the edge of the upper Rio Chirripo in the Cabecar indigenous territory. The terrain is very challenging due to extreme elevation changes and the unpredictable Rio Chirripo during the rainy season. The health services are lacking and sparce on this indigenous territory. Nevertheless, Ñari will be the fourth of the 14 buildings slated for renovation.

Currently, the local indigenous community has begun clearing the land and preparing temporary storage for clinic resources and materials. Some materials will be brought in by helicopter on Friday. Stay tuned for more updates!

Health, Success Stories

Success Stories from the Field #6 – Eyes are the Windows to the World

‘Content warning – this post discusses suicidal feelings.’

Today, I was walking down the street and this gentleman calls out to me. ” Giselle, do you remember me?” I said” Your eyes”.

He gleefully answered…” six years ago your volunteer group of eye doctors found that I had cataracts. You took me to a clinic and I got treated and was able to see again.

Eye care specialist provide eyeglasses

What no one know at the time was that I was planning on taking my life by hanging myself. You saved my life”. Of course I got a little teary and pulled on the necklace I was wearing . (It had belonged to my mother). The string broke and tiny blue beads flew all over the street.

This man who once had been nearly blind and contemplated suicide, bent over and picked up ever single bead…even those that I couldn’t see because they were so teeny. He said” the hand of God is so with you. He is showing you this truth as I am able to see, find and pick up these little beads of your Mother.”

Indeed I saved his life…and…he taught me something I needed to know.

Health

Happy Birthday to Alan

32 years old and still with us in spite of meeting death two years ago by falling out of a third story construction site. He literally fought for life and limb. He did lose part of his right leg…but saved his life.

We celebrated with a family lunch at KFC at a venue on the third floor. He sat by the window. Here is his wife, her 4 year old daughter and two sons and Alan’s son. Boy those kids can eat! We got a super mega bucket. They scarfed down everything but the very bones.

Zuly says she tells the kids..let’s go out to eat… so she cooks up some rice and beans and they put a blanket on the floor of their little balcony..and they are out to eat!

We pull up into the parking lot in my car and all tumble out…the old lady, the one legged man, the woman with an unusual face, the tiny girl, the very tall boy and the very thin boy. Just like a circus clown car.

After we eat we go to the outdoor park down below and play hide and seek. I won every time because I’m sneaky and always get to the home free tree first.

Health, Youth Sports

The Boyz on the Corner

As I was driving out today, I came across what we call “the boyz on the corner”. They all remember me as the condom lady from years past when Common Ground worked with them on reproductive health care.

The thing is…today we had a normal conversation. They weren’t all edgey. we talked about the “gangs” of La Carpio and how they longed for more peace and less violence. And how great it could be if we organized an activity where we could all just sit down together…who knows. ? Maybe the time has come, I thought. Finally. Maybe.

Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, Health, La Carpio

A Mother’s Continued Struggle

A mother, with her little baby she is breast feeding, and her oldest daughter who just earned her second degree in patient care. On her way to becoming a doctor. 16 years old…her 13 year old boy is in extreme screaming pain in the hospital after surgical intervention on which they “drained the liquid out of his médula”, she has to choose between staying in the hospital, caring for her other kids and going into witness protection. Which is required. We have provided food for her every day, paid for a woman to watch the kids, and given her the money for the moving truck. Also..our team has given her lunches and tracked down sacks for her to pack in. The ” plan ” of the OIJ is to take the kids in a van with her and her daughter out of the hospital in an ambulance and drive them all five hours away to a house at the edge of the highway in xxxxxx. An hour away from the nearest hospital, the nearest high school and five hours from the school where the daughter studies medicine. They will pay the rent for one f..ING month and then she is on her own. I’m trying to negotiate a house for her nearer to San Jose. I cannot imagine how her daughter will survive being bounced around in an ambulance four hours.

Names and locations omitted for protection.