Cecilla Rubinos went to the doctor because her throat was so sore she couldn’t talk. When the doctor tilted her head back to examine her throat, he noticed something else.
“Haven’t you noticed your forehead,” he asked her. There was a large abnormal bulge in it. She had noticed, but she didn’t know what it was, and neither did the doctor exactly.
“I was worried because I didn’t have any money to go to the hospital and have tests done,” she said.
She has a large tumor in her forehead. She needs an ultra sound to find out what she needs to do next.
So she met MEDLIFE nurse Jannette in front of an altar in La Ciudad de Dios (the city of god), a district in Lima, to go to an ultra sound that Medlife paid for- she doesn’t have to worry about paying for the tests on her own now.
MEDLIFE nurses often accompany patients to clinics and hospitals for a variety of reasons, but primarily to assist them in understanding their illnesses, and in navigating the tedious and complex Peruvian medical system. It also helps ensure that they make the appointments, and follow through with important next steps afterwards.
Cecillia, for instance, previously believed that the bulge was caused by bone growth, and that the bulge would cause her to lose her vision. However, none of this has been confirmed by credible testing or medical personnel.
Cecillia said she is happy that Janet accompanied her to her appointment because it helps her to understand her condition. She also has trouble navigating the city alone- she rarely leaves her small community or home.
She said she is not worried about herself, but about what she will do with her young son, Leonardo, who she carries from the altar to the clinic. “If I get an operation, who will take care of him?” She said.
Her husband works all day, and her son, 18 years old, works all day as well. He is trying to save money to go to college one day. Cecillia hopes he can leave home soon. “Life is not easy, life is hard,” she said. “ He is a man, he needs to learn that.”
When the test results come back, Ceillia can trust MEDLIFE to help her choose the right steps to take towards recovery.