The most important questions we ask are the ones that don’t have easy answers. They are the questions that call into mind our thoughts, ideas, and behaviors. They are the questions that beg for action and for more than passive opinions. The world asks us how we value the importance of a life. Are we willing to hold hand of a man that needs assistance up the stairs and kiss the cheek of a woman in need of a proper home? Are we willing to show the world that there are things we can do to improve the lives of many by not focusing simply on our own?
Through MEDLIFE I have been given the opportunity to hear the stories of many patients. While on a patient follow up visit with a MEDLIFE nurse, Beatriz, I met Dionicio. He had a neurological disorder that inhibited his speech and mobility. In addition, he also suffered from diabetes and hypertension, which caused him more pain and inconvenience. He was still dependent on his mother. We visited him that day to ensure his identification and insurance paperwork was in order for him to be able to see a physician.
It was quite difficult to get up Dionicio’s house from the road. Because there were no stairs or even steady footholds, I felt like I could have fallen multiple times with just a misplaced step. This presented a minor inconvenience for me, but for Dionicio, it was exponentially more difficult. Imagine living in pain from a treatable disease, unable to get the treatment you need from your local healthcare system. The unavoidable pain increases as you walk, sit, stand, lay down, and you feel restricted from leaving your own house, deterred by the thought of subjecting yourself to more discomfort.
As Beatriz talked with Dionicio and his mother about his current condition, I saw how he winced in pain with each movement of his feet. I listened to his voice break as he spoke of the pain that plagued him with simple movements. Then, while Beatriz shuffled through his patient records, Dionicio began to cry.
To share in that kind of vulnerability with a patient, to comfort them, and to offer help when it seems like they are facing the worst, this is what MEDLIFE aims to do. The MEDLIFE mission is about more than providing health care for people who have limited access to it. MEDLIFE asks the hard questions, gets to real answers that empower people to ignite sustainable change and improve the wellbeing of all who are deprived of it. Being a part of the MEDLIFE movement has challenged me to truly listen to the stories of those living in poverty, and if I can, ask myself what I can do to help. I have stopped thinking; “what is the minimum effort I need to invest to be able to sleep at night,†and instead stay up all night thinking about what more I can do.
Two years ago I came to Lima with MEDLIFE as a volunteer and I experienced what it was like to pour all of my mental, physical, and emotional effort into a movement focused so intently helping people. I saw the results of this effort and then pursued further involvement in the organization as a year-long intern. Already, I can see the positive effect this investment has had on my perspectives, thoughts, and actions. I only hope that I can help MEDLIFE continue to expand, keep asking myself those hard questions, and work for real solutions.