Marica and her son Isai.
Neither Marica Bacillio Lozano nor her Mother have ever lived somewhere they owned. They have always had to rent small homes in poor districts in Lima, Peru. Despite barely scraping by most of the time, Marica said that “we were always moving forward.”
Marica married and had two kids, eventually moving into her own rented home in Manzana A, Via El Salvador. Her family was poor, but they scraped by with the informal work they did as cobradors, collecting fares from people of public transit. Then Marica had her third child, Isaic, and things changed forever; “the way isaic was born. Things are more complicated now,” Marica said.
Isai was born with a cleft palate, webbed feet and hands as well as mental retardation. When Marica first found out, all she could do was cry in the hospital. Fortunately, Isai has developed better than was expected. At age 5 he recently began sitting, walking, and speaking. He has even been able to join a normal kindergarten classroom. “Thank god he started walking,” Marica said. “He can be a little independent now. I can leave him alone for a little and he can play.” Before, someone had to have their eye on him constantly.
Although she still sometimes has to excuse herself and cry in the bathroom while she is on a hospital visit with Isai, she loves her son and has dedicated herself completely to trying to provide a good life for Isai and her other two children.
But it hasn’t been easy, and now her family has been stretched to the breaking point. With Isai came a litany of other expenses; medicine, diapers, trips to the hospital, and of course the huge amount of time required to care for him properly. The families’ budget was always tight, they made money for food day to day, if there was no work avaible one day, the family often could not eat that day.
Isai needs more foods than a normal child, when there is not enough to go around, Marica has to give more to him than her other kids. Sometimes they cry because they don’t get enough food. But even with the extra food, Isai was still diagnosed with Anemia 7.5, a condition caused by malnutrition, specifically a lack of iron. With his webbed hands many tasks are difficult, he cannot pick up small objects well, he has trouble pulling up his pants.
Isai holding a ball. Picking up small objects is difficult for him because of his webbed hands.
With all of this, the family could not keep up with rent anymore. They had to move into a house with family members, and split the rent. There are now 3 families and a total of 14 people living in the house with 4 rooms. To make matters worse, the landlords of the home are now carrying out a repossession, and everyone has to be out in two weeks. “We don’t know where to go,” Marica said.
Marica has had trouble getting Isai the treatment he needs. “I’m embarrassed I missed an appointment,” Marica said. “But what can I say, I have three kids.” When she managed to get Isai to the hospital, she said she often faces discrimination- even in emergencies. Once she brought Isai to the hospital because had a high fever that was causing convulsions, she was forced to wait much longer than anyone else. When she complained, one nurse told her that “all kids are not the same.”
After struggling for years and making little progress getting Isai treatment in the public health system, she jumped at the opportunity to take her son to a Mobile Clinic in 2015. MEDLIFE is now helping her navigate the hospital system and get Isai the treatment he needs. MEDLIFE is also helping with the costs of caring for Isai, like buying diapers, so Marica does not need to choose between paying for Isai’s expenes and feeding her family. Our nurses will continue visiting and supporting the family until Isai has gotten the treatment he needs.
Marica holds her son while MEDLIFE nurse Beatriz purchases diapers and medicine for them.