Day 3: February 2, 2011
Planning the words to describe today seemed daunting. I just got back from dinner (incredible Sushi place adjacent to the hotel…and yes, for those keeping score…Tim loved the sushi). The day was full of jarring contrast and it has been somewhat over-whelming. Over dinner we were discussing our experiences. All day long I had noticed that Cody kept mentioning our first delivery and I could see a different look in his eyes when he spoke about it. I knew that it was special to him. The entire day was very emotional but that first visit was the one he would continue to reflect on…and I wanted to know why. So I asked the question. Again, I could see something in him change for a minute. He shared that when he walked into that first home today and presented Graciela with a wheelchair… two lives changed… hers … and his.
So those were the words I needed. I’m not going to be able to articulate it more profoundly than that. Our day started with a long ride to the village of La Victoria. We travel in a nice van owned and operated by our driver Sergio. Sergio has mad driving skills. He deftly navigates Peruvian streets with aggressive moves when needed, then with extreme patience and stealth. The trip was an hour or so, maybe longer. The area where we needed to be was up high on a hillside and the van would not be able to make the sharp turns, so we transferred to taxi cabs. We needed to haul two fully assembled wheelchairs, as well as some friends from the local Church, so we required three taxis. Finding taxis that were able to make the trip was a bit of an obstacle since they had to have manual transmissions to pull up the hill. We found three that were willing, then piled in with wheelchairs poking out of the trunks heading up the steep hill. As we climbed, the stone and concrete streets became more and more narrow, walled on both sides by the homes of the people who live there. At most points you could reach your hand out the window on either side and touch the front door of a living space. The road twisted and turned into an ever-darkening labyrinth of broken concrete structures with makeshift rooftops. We were gradually becoming aware that the area was deeply challenged economically and crime can and does happen as an act of simple desperation. The taxi drivers advised us to hide all electronics and anything of value. It is difficult to look out your window and see a child’s innocent face two feet away and imagine that crime exists in their neighborhood. But that is reality…here and everywhere there is human crisis. We found the address we needed and unloaded the first chair.
Graciela
Stooping to enter the dark concrete threshold we piled into a very small living area and were taken to a back room through a kitchen where Graciela’s sister was cooking. Adjacent to the kitchen was Graciela’s concrete walled bedroom, just barely big enough for a bed. Kids filled the tiny space at the entrance and Graciela looked up at us from her bed. Graciela is beautiful in a very unique way. It is hard to explain but there was a special glow inside her. She told us that she had paralysis from her waist down and that it happened four years ago. A year later her husband had died and she was left to care for two children, Antony and Shayumi…alone. Fortunately her sister lives near-by and comes over to help out. It was apparent that young Antony is also a huge help to his mother. I watched from the kitchen as Cody gently lifted her from her bed and into the wheelchair. Graciela explained to him in a soft voice how she just wanted to be able to take care of her children and how that was what she desired the most. How could that not change us? How could it not bring us a deeper understanding of basic need…to hold a frail mother of young children in your arms and by placing her in a sixty-dollar chair, enable her to do what she needs to do. Against these odds she just wanted to be a mom. She wanted to be able to watch her kids play and grow. She couldn’t do that from the confines of a concrete bedroom with no windows. Cody wheeled her through the kitchen and to the main living space. We visited for a while. We shared some candy with the children (who seemed to be everywhere) and took photos with the family. Then we reluctantly said goodbye and were off to the next delivery.
Diana Sofia
Our next stop was only a hundred yards or so down the winding street. One of our taxi drivers was also a policeman (with a gun) and he was very helpful in giving us advice and providing an extra level of security. You can imagine that the three of us could draw attention in these streets...Cody and Tim are well over 6 feet tall and me with a shaved head and goatee. We are either scary, comical…or both. We found Diana’s house, which also happened to be some sort of dining kitchen. The house was full of adults and children. We walked through the kitchen and saw Diana, very thin and with her legs curled on the bed. Diana is eleven and suffers from something called “West” syndrome, a condition none of us were familiar with. Diana is unable to walk and cannot straighten her legs. She also has some level of cognitive disability. Cody made the foot adjustments to her chair (he has become pretty good at that) and Tim lifted her onto the seat. What was immediately evident was Diana’s loving and supporting family. Her mother was cheerful and energetically described her life taking care of Diana in a very positive and re-assuring way. She was so happy to now have a way to take Diana outside and be with other kids. We were once again moved by the resilient spirit and self-assuredness of these families. The grandmother, an obviously amazing and strong matriarch…came out to thank us and tell us a bit about her family and their history. She carried herself with confidence and pragmatism and when we left I knew that little girl was born to the perfect family and one that could take care of her.
We were fairly quiet as we came back down the hill and switched back to our van. The morning had challenged us in many ways. While we were proud of the work and opportunity to do what we had just done...we were also in awe of the tenacity of the people we had just met. Enthusiasm, appreciation, determination and hope in the face of extreme adversity. It was “again” a very powerful experience.
And then there was lunch…
Yes…life-altering experience…then we have lunch. It’s a crazy existence isn’t it? We headed back toward Lima and met the rest of the FWM team at a large shopping complex in Lima called Metro Plaza and enjoyed roasted chicken and beef…hearts.
The second half of the day we delivered two more chairs in a district called Comas. At the first home a local community group who wanted to be a part of the ceremony joined us. In addition, the mayor sent a representative to speak on his behalf. We presented a chair to Carolina (thirteen) who suffers from Polio. Carolina was very brave and sat in the middle of the room as about twenty people circled her. Her father Jaime, explained that her mother had died and he was left to care for her alone. Carolina listened intently and blessed us with a smile…especially when Tim would do something goofy (she smiled quite a bit). Carolina’s home was in a small neighborhood and many of her neighbors came out to see what was going on. I think we created a bit of “an event” in Comas today and Carolina got lots of attention.
The final chair was just around the block and went to Juan Manuel. Juan is 18 and lives with his mom. He has Cerebral Palsy. Juan’s mom explained that Juan needs complete and constant care and is unable to eat any solid food. She explained that without the chair Juan either stays indoors or is carried outside. The chair will allow him the opportunity to be wheeled outdoors more often and sit with his best friend….a black and white dog that waits patiently outside the door.
So, three hours, screeching breaks, potholes and a million honking horns later, we arrived back at our hotel. I am physically a sturdy guy… but by the end of today I was drained…I think we all were. At the end of the day our friend and guide Joe, helped us understand and reconcile how our experiences today would change our lives forever. So, why are we in Peru? Today another part of the answer has to be awareness. Awareness of the difference between perceived need and real need…basic need. Awareness that some of the strongest and most amazing people live in places we could never imagine…dealing with things we would never conceive of … and doing it all … with indelible grace.
If you would like to see pictures try this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/WayneScott120563
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