Hard day

Well, today was probably the hardest day I have had in terms of interviews.  I don't know how much I have mentioned, but I have actually been surprised more than once that while I am looking at bad living conditions, and people not having access to secure accommodation or clean water, that they aren't complaining of more health problems.  I would say my most common complaints are of fevers and diarrhea.  I am almost amazed that those are there only problems sometimes.  Today was a bit different.  I went and did interviews in an encroachment with my translator this morning.  These people are living in plastic tents, that don't even reach the ground most of the time.  They have no water, (and no bore well nearby) which means that they literally go walking around the more upper class neighborhood that sits right next to the field they are set up in and ask the people living there to spare some water for them, sometimes walking as far as 1 km one way to collect enough to get by for the day.  They of course also have no sewage system, toilets, electricity, or anything that I have taken for granted pretty much every day of my life.  

There were more children at this encroachment than I have seen in such a small population so far, with most of the people I interviewed having families as large as 8-10 people living in one small tent.  The third interview of the morning began, and I soon realized this was not the typical "we have fevers, and we need a permanent house" (isn't it sad that I have now come to think of that as 'typical'?).  The father began to give me the basic information on his family that I ask for which is basically how many people live in the household, the relationships between all of them, their education, occupation, and illnesses for example.  As we began talking I noticed the young man sitting next to him, I assumed he was a relative in the household so I asked.  It turns out that Murgush was perfectly not even six months ago.  He now can barely walk on his own, he can't speak anymore, and has been in the ICU off and on for the past 6 months.  Sometimes people have a difficult time explaining their health problems to me, and especially if they are things they themselves don't understand they usually just provide me with all of the paperwork and x-rays, prescriptions, pills, etc that their doctors have given them and leave it to me to sort it out.  After trying to understand what it was the family thought was wrong with their son, I had gotten the chance to really go through all of the documentation they provided me.  I don't know how this is possible, and I still wonder if I got it wrong somehow... but I am sure I don't.  They had scans of his brain with forms and referrals attached that explained there was a tumor on his right frontal lobe... and it didn't even stop there.  Apparently he also somehow managed to end up with meningitis, and a few other less severe problems.  When I asked what the family thought had made Murgush sick in the first place they attributed it to dirty water.  I wish I had more background and medical training because when it comes to cases like this that are far beyond my abilities or common sense, it can be difficult to answer questions the families ask of me, and I have to keep reminding them that I am not a doctor and they need to trust the doctors they are seeing.  Unfortunately, that's also not always easy to say.  This family is paying a fortune for the prescriptions he must take (I was given the bills for that as well) and they told me the doctors have told them that he will be just fine as long as he keeps taking his medicine.  Again, I am not a doctor, but I do know that brain tumors don't just disappear and meningitis alone can have very damaging lasting effects.  To make a long story short, with the bills they already have this family is going to be paying off the loans they took out for medical bills for the rest of their lives even though for us it would be a pittance and I am not entirely sure the boy will live, or at least as well as the doctors are telling the family he will.

I would like to start up a small fund to help pay for the medicine he needs and try and get him some decent food (he is supposed to be on a special diet according to the sheets).  I implore all of you, I know these are hard times, but even a few dollars somewhere like India goes a very long way.  If any of you can spare even $5 (I know these are hard times for everyone) please let me know and I will give you a Wellsfargo account to make a deposit to and promise that I will get every cent as well as my own contribution to his family.  They never asked me for a thing, and shared all of their pain with me knowing I couldn't do anything for them, and I want to at least try to help this family.  They also have another autistic son that requires a lot of care.  So, you see them in the bottom picture above.  The father, and two of his sons, Murgush is the one on the left hand side.

I've got a cold now, seems I can't stay completely healthy in India...  I had a full day of interviews again today and will have another long day tomorrow.  Love to all.