SARAHI’S  STORY

This is the story of Sarahi, a fifteen year old girl that lives in a very small house with her mother, father and younger sister Suzanne, in La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico.

When we first met Sarahi she had not been out of her bed for more than three years.  At the young age of eleven she suffered a brain aneurysm.  The surgery to control the aneurysm left her paralyzed down her right side and unable to speak.  Three consecutive plates that were meant to replace the skull that had been cut away,  infected and had to be removed,  consequently she was left with a very large area of her head indented and   covered only by  a thin layer of skin and hair.  This caused her much discomfort and she was always protecting the area with her hand covering it.

The family was left with a large debt, due to the surgery and have spent the past five years attempting to pay off this debt. In fact the family was about to lose their little house because they had fallen behind on their payments.  Their loan was being financed at 7% per month, and they had not managed to pay any of it off in the five years.  Ownership of this loan has since been taken over  by two wonderful couples, at their own expense,  and the family now has easier payments at a lower interest and a hope that they will one day pay off this debt. 

 Sarahi’s father works seven days a week and makes little money.  Sarahi’s medical needs include anti seizure medications, pain medications and due to her paralysis she must be placed in diapers which are very expensive in Mexico.  The family had no wheel chair and no means of getting Sarahi out of the house, therefore she spent all of her days in bed watching a very small TV..

My husband and I met this family just three short weeks before we were to leave Mexico and return home.  We had heard of her from others in the RV Park that we were staying at and had taken some ‘busy ‘ books for Sarahi to color. We soon realized that  we might be able to make a difference for her and her family with just a little time, some effort  and  of course, money. 

Thanks to the residents of La Penita RV Park we were able to make an incredible difference,  more than we had first thought to make.  We had the donation of a La Fuma chair right away and that allowed mom to carry Sarahi outside to spend time in the sunshine with other members of the family.  From there the donations just kept coming in, we were given a small DVD player, then we purchased a good selection of movies for her to watch.  We were able to place an upright fan in the bedroom to help with the incredible heat.  We had donations of food, clothing for Sarahi, her mom and Susanne.  school supplies for Sarahi’s sister Suzanne  were also provided.  A Barbie doll and other ‘girl’ toys were donated by the La Penita Hamburger fund.  I believe I am right in saying it was her very first doll.  One group of ‘friends’ at the park collected funds that they left with a local grocery store so that the family could purchase fresh food weekly

We were able to come up with a wheel chair from Dr. Lidia, and with lots of elbow grease had it Sarahi ready in just a few days. Her face ‘radiated’ when mom took her outside in her chair and she knew that she would not be confined to the bed with little or no hope of being able to enjoy the outdoors

With funds that we had raised through selling  t shirts, and fifty/fifty tickets  at the many functions at the RV Park through out the winter we were able to purchase diapers for Sarahi for seven months,  medications, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste  We were also able to have  a ramp built  from the house to the garden so that mom could get the wheel chair in and out of the house.   The cement was donated and the park workers worked on a Sunday to get it all poured and set up for the wheel chair.

With help from friends in Special Education back home in Canada I was able to come up with a set of Bliss symbols in Spanish so that Sarahi could learn to communicate with her family for the first time.   I understand that she has been working on learning these words daily with the help of her mother, sister and friends. 

From here I enlisted the help of Dr. Lidia to make a house call to the family so that we could approach the Shriner’s in Mexico City to see if they could do anything for Sarahi.   I understand that  Sarahi   has an appointment with the Shriner’s  in January of 2009.   After the initial visit Dr. Lidia took on this family’s needs asking for no money as payment for her services.  She encouraged the family to teach Sarahi to write with her left hand.  I understand that she is learning her alphabet and is now beginning to print as well.  It has also been reported to me that she can now speak four words!I am actively searching for a lap top computer to take back with me, one that I can put educational games on for her to continue with her learning.  Family members  in Michigan are working on coming up with a variety of programs for a computer.

Dr. Lidia arranged for Sarahi to be seen by a neurologist in Guadalajara to see what, if  anything,  could be done for her head.  The report came back that they would be able to put a new plate in, one made with plastic cement,  but it would cost some money.  The three tubes of ‘plastic cement’ needed  for the surgery  would cost $450,  plus the  cost of the surgery, accommodations,  and transportation also had to be considered.  Here again, Dr. Lidia was able to help in that her husband provided the transportation for the family, for just his costs. 

It was at this time that I wrote an article telling the story of Sarahi for an RV magazine and copied the article to a newsletter sent out by the RV Park.  Donations of money soon followed and before we knew it, we had enough money for Sarahi to have her surgery.

Surgery took place on July 5^th and Sarahi is now back home in La Penita.  Dr. Lidia reports that Sarahi does not suffer the same pain when she yawns now and is even attempting to get out of bed on her own.  Dr. Lidia has removed the stitches and is now waiting to see what other positive consequences there might be from this surgery.  Sarahi must still return to Guadalajara for a follow up to her surgery.  We are looking to the fund set up with the Jaltemba Foundation under the La Penita RV Park Community Fund to assist with the transportation, accommodation and hospital visit costs so that the family will not incur any further debt.

The picture of Sarahi and her radiant smile tell the ‘rest of the story’.

In just five short months the life of this little girl, and her family have been changed drastically.  Without the assistance of so many,  this girl would still be lying in a bed with little or no hope for tomorrows.  Now she has more than hope, she has a life that is much improved.  All thanks to the many residents of the RV Park, and their friends and family members. 

There are so many people that need to be thanked for making this all possible, I would not know where to start to name them all, so I shall not do so.  You know who you are and you must feel good knowing that you were able to  change the life of at least one young lady

Two little words with a huge job to do THANK YOU one and all for making this dream come true for Sarahi, for allowing her to have a chance to enjoy life to the best of her abilities.  Now she will be able to find out what those abilities are.

he Don of Americo Vespucio

Story and photograph by Adam Caddell

In Mexico, just like Canada and the United States, there are sketchy areas of any town. Some like to buy home security systems complete with all the bells and whistles; others prefer barbed wire and broken glass. Luckily, I have the best block watch program in town.

Along my street, Americo Vespucio, there is a man sitting in a plastic chair who watches his neighborhood like a hawk. Every car and passerby greets him, and in return he grants them with a friendly smile and a wave of his hand.

His name is Don Enrique and has lived here for more than forty years. Now eighty years old, Enrique is a source of information for those who want to know what Jaltemba was like in simpler times.

“Before, La Penita used to be just rows of Banana and Pineapple plants” says Enrique. “Now, it’s all gone, and has become a large tourist destination.”

Enrique grew up in Magdalena, Jalisco and was one of eleven brothers and sisters. Rafael, their father, taught them how to harvest sugar cane and work well with their hands. “My father gave me my strong work ethic, and he also taught me how to have a good time.”

As a young man, Enrique constantly went back and fourth to California, working in the strawberry fields. Strawberries require long days and hard work, but for Enrique it was business as usual.  “Work was work and when their wasn’t work available in Magdalena I would go to California to harvest strawberries”

Enrique would travel to California in a series of six times, constantly making new friends from the United States and his native Mexico.  Jecho, a friend Enrique made while working in the strawberry fields, kept mentioning a beach paradise called La Penita.  

“Jecho used to always talk about these rows and rows of Bananas and Pineapples, right along the beach.” said Enrique. “When I came to La Penita, I bought a large lot and planted bananas and pineapples.” The lot was a massive ninety thousand meters. Land was a lot cheaper back then and development was slow.

Enrique moved his family here to start a new life that would prove different from Magdalena; bringing down his wife four daughters, and six sons. Some of his kids have now moved to California and others have made names for themselves in the Jaltemba area.

Now retired, Don Enrique has more than twenty grandchildren and always has some sort of company. He is quick to offer anyone a fresh mango or a friendly smile and his conversations are filled with wisdom. Cars drive by and greet Don Enrique as he is the Don of our street; Americo Vespucio.

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