Noemi being attended to by a doctor at MEDLIFE’s office in Riobamba, Ecuador.
A MEDLIFE mobile clinic is much more than merely a temporary medical station. In every station, we establish a follow-up program for those patients who need more personal medical attention and do not have the financial resources to continue medical treatment themselves.
This is the case for Noemi Quishpi, who we met last year during a mobile clinic in the “Telan La Playa” community in Riobamba, Ecuador. When we met her, Noemi was completely covered with clothing from head to toe, including gloves and a hat that covered her face. Her reason for this came from a very uncomfortable diagnosis: painful warts that spread throughout her entire body. For a 12-year-old girl soon entering her teenage years, these warts were not merely a skin condition, but also a source of embarrassment and low self-esteem.
Noemi’s parents both breed animals for a living and take care of her 10 siblings. With so much already on their plate, it was almost impossible to think that one day the bothersome warts would disappear from her skin.
After seeing her at the clinic, we enrolled Noemi in our Patient Follow-Up program. From there, we helped relieve the financial burdens associated with her treatment and also gave her the support and encouragement to love herself and her skin.
After a year of extensive treatment, the warts have completely disappeared. Noemi, now 13 years old, no longer covers all of her skin with clothes and can happily go to school without being teased about her skin by other students. Now during the weekends she assists her dad with the animals, which helps bring more income to the family. Noemi is an incredible girl.
With the support of MEDLIFE, we can now proudly say that Noemi has been completely discharged of treatment from medical facilities.
MEDLIFE thanks Martha Chicaiza, Director of MEDLIFE Ecuador and MEDLIFE Latin America, and Maria Chavez, Follow-Up Patient Coordinator, for all of the support and care that they bring to our patients in Ecuador.
To learn more about the follow-up program, click here.
