Nonprofit

Noel’s Extended Family

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Noel and The Andonians

For the past five years Noel has spent significant periods of time in the Boston area while receiving medical treatment and follow-up care. Although he lives at our home in Concord, he can often be found two houses away, at the Andonians. Most days Noel would ask me, ” can I go see who is home? and how long can I stay?” Then off he’d go in his “Escalade!” That little car soon became a fixture at their house.

Noel loved hanging out with Nick, Haley and Grace, spending hours playing Halo, swimming in the pool and eating as many special treats as he could. The Andonians truly became his extended family and showered him with so much love and attention.

Dave, Kris Ann and their children have been involved with “our” kids for years, and we’re hoping they’ll take the opportunity to visit Noel at his home in Honduras. Esperanza is grateful for their financial support, as well, which will be designated for Noel’s education.

A Courageous Fighter

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Gerardo

Gerardo Enrique Inestoza Ruiz just turned 15 years old on July 17th. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Hearing a diagnosis of cancer is difficult enough to handle emotionally, but if you are unable to afford treatment, it can feel totally hopless. Gerardo’s family visited with our Honduran coordinator, Ana Hernandez. to see if we could help. We have been able to provide financial assistance which covers his medical, transportation and food costs. Gerardo is handling his chemotherapy as well as can be expected. The days of treatment are extremely challenging because Gerardo and his dad travel by bus to a city a few hours away. Returning home, tired and nauceous on a bus making frequent stops for passengers and road work, is draining. Each day Gerardo faces many obstacles…trying to stay strong by eating soft foods his stomach can tolerate and wearing a mask to avoid infections. He is a bright student who is sad to not be in school. The family humbly asked if we could buy a mattress for Gerardo because his is full of holes and is so uncomfortable. Such a modest request and we’re grateful we can do something to ease his pain. We look forward to seeing Gerardo in three months and will continue to monitor his treatment from afar. Please hold him in your thoughts…

Transitioning back to life in the States

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment
Honduran Students

It has been less than two weeks since I returned from Honduras, and my mind continues to be in overload as I reflect on all my experiences. I always have a difficult time transitioning and this is certainly the case, even after a one week visit.

Ofcourse I am thrilled to have arrived safely home and to be surrounded by family and friends, but my heart is once again torn in two as I leave my friends, past and current patients, and new aquaintances.

My week was actioned packed and filled with tears of joy and sadness. The first day I visited with “Baby Bee” and met her family for the first time. They are an incredibly loving and thankful family and welcomed me with gifts and a new nickname, “Mamasita Emily.”

We held a birthday party for former patient, Stefany who turned nine years old. She was one of Esperanza’s first patients and arrived at our home as a 17 month old, seeking treatment for bilateral clubfeet. Watching her run on the “slip n’ slide”, jump in the pool and swing at the pinata was so very gratifying.

I had the opportunity to attend Astrid’s kindergarten graduation ceremony. Despite the fact she missed four months of school while receiving medical treatment, she still graduated third in her class. Oh, how proud she was to receive her medal!

I visited with ongoing patients and new ones to Esperanza including: 13 month old Adriana (awaiting a heart catheterization), and two people with leukemia, 14 year old. Gerardo, and 39 year old, Maricela. It is heartbreaking enough that they are facing these serious health issues, but not having the financial resources for treatment is so unjust.

Fortunately, my spirits were lifted visiting “our” patients who have been successfully treated including 13 year old, Iris, who has cerebral palsy. In the past, she was hunched over, not wanting to bear weight. After operations and physical therapy, she is happily playing and attending school with big dreams of the future. I also had the chance to see soon-to-be eight year old, Martha Cristina. She is absolutely a miracle…diagnosed with kidney cancer 3 1/2 years ago, she is now in remission after extensive chemo and radiation therapy. She is a bright eyed, beautiful girl who is full of spirit.

One of the highlights of my week was attending a dedication service at one of the public schools in Flores. Our church (Pilgrim Congregational, UCC of Lexington, MA) had raised funds for a building project. Although it was a Saturday, the students (in uniform) and their teachers gathered at the school to welcome me with songs (including the national anthem). I had the honor of placing the first brick into a space that will become their outside eating/gathering area. This is an incredibly impoverished school, offering me a reception of gratitude….another tearful moment.

Ana and I met with representatives from Plan USA. They are a group assisting us in the process of bringing clean water to Flores. This has been an incredibly slow process (several years)…our latest hurdle is getting the new lawyer for SERNA to turn over the ownership for the project to the town of Flores. Next, a technical study will be completed. We are getting closer to our dream of bringing clean water to Flores…it will be one of the best ways to prevent many illnesses.

I returned to the states with 9 year old, Noel. He is a patient of Esperanza’s who had successful heart surgery five years ago. Noel will be spending the summer with us.

Tom and I look forward to returning in the middle of October for a month long visit.

Thank you Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC!

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

For the past ten years we have been receiving financial and spiritual support from the folks at Pilgrim Church in Lexington. The memebers and friends of the church have also generously offered their support with supplies of clothing, shoes, school supplies and more.

Every spring, the Honduran Support Group holds a book sale. Proceeds from the sale are used to purchase Spanish books and supplies and/or complete a project at one of the schools in Flores, Honduras. This year, over $1,500 has been donated to construct an outdoor eating and play area at an elementary school.

We wish to thank Mrs. Sandi Gardiner who organizes a fantastic crew to coordinate the book sale, and to Pilgrim’s Mission Committtee for supplementing the proceeds. This project is being enthusiastically endorsed by the teachers in Flores and will be enjoyed by many children.

So Many Things To Love About Honduras

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Emily with a group of Hondurans

When I think about living in Honduras, one of the first things to come to mind is simplicity. Our home is small, on a tiny plot of land and the house is so uncluttered…no t.v., dishwasher, washing machine etc. We live amongst the geckos, roosters and a roaming bull.

Our home is generally filled with children. I love to watch them play…they still rely on their imaginations to make up games…something many other children have lost. When they don’t have certain equipment for sports, they make up their own. Flip-flops are used for goalie gloves and sticks are used for baseball bats.

And it’s not just the children who show their creativity…I have seen adults use Coke bottles for three different things. One was used at a public hospital to collect used needles. A smaller version was used by an elderly asthmatic patient for an inhaler. Our friend Mita cut her’s lengthwise, and uses them for flower boxes.

Simple life….their homes, their lives, their wants, their needs.

Living In Two Worlds

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Noel Two Worlds

How do they adapt to living in two different cultures? We have hosted a baby as young as 11 months, many school aged children, a 19 year old young woman and a middle aged man, while they have received medical treatment. They have stayed for as little as six weeks and as long as six months. We often wonder how they acclimate to life in the U.S., and how they re-adjust to life back home in Honduras.

Recently we hosted 11 month old Berenice. She arrived to us with a serious heart defect. I cannot begin to imagine what her parents went through emotionally, handing her off to a nurse who would transport her to us…a family they had never met, living in a foreign country. People often question, “how could they let their child go?” My response is, “this is there only hope for keeping their child alive.”

Berenice arrived to us having been solely breast fed. Those first few days were quite challenging, offering her every type of formula and milk in all types of bottles and sippy cups. At last we discovered juice in a glass was what she’d tolerate…she loved the way her new teeth clanked on the glass! Soon we began introducing every type of food…so much for one new item at a time, this was full immersion.

Not only was food a new thing to become accostomed to, so was sleep. No longer was she snuggled in bed with others or perhaps sleeping in a hammock. She was now offered her own crib, in a room by herself. It became my husband’s nightly routine to sing her to sleep with a Willie Nelson tune.

Along with food and sleep, we all looked different, spoke in a different language and lived in a much different climate. It was amazing to see how quickly Berenice acclimated. Soon she was calling me “Mama” and learning to wave “bye bye” and play “peek-a-boo!”

The other children have adapted equally as easily. I am astounded how quickly they try new foods, master electronics, and even learn that it’s safe to flush toilet paper! It is a rare occassion that they become tearful and express missing their families back home. I often reflect to being a six year old girl, attending a week long day camp, in the next town over, and being extremely homesick!

Pleasantly, eveyone who has stayed with us wants to go home. They miss their families, friends and culture. It certainly has made our “farewells” easier, knowing they are returning to someone and something they love.

The Inequities

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Honduran Children Outside

I grew up blissfully believing that “life was fair.” I have many memories of my grandmother giving my brothers and me equal amounts of gifts, wanting everyone to have the same. It wasn’t until I was an adult, and more notably, after visiting Honduras that I really became aware of the inequities of life.

After visiting Honduras, I realized how blessed I was to be born in the United States. I don’t always feel proud, but I certainly feel blessed.

Others often question why we volunteer in Honduras, saying there’s so much need in the U.S. We certainly don’t discredit this and don’t believe it should be an either/or choice of involvement. But, there is a huge disparity. Honduras doesn’t have the “safety net” that the U.S. offers. They do no not have a medicaid system, homeless shelters or food pantries which we have. When you are admitted to a public hospital, you are responsible for everything from your own medications and blood to toilet paper. If you are accompanying a patient, don’t think you’ll be sleeping on a pull-out chair, you may have the chance to sleep on the blood stained floor.

Attending schools in Honduras is often a priviledge, not an expectation. In the U.S. we  deal with truancy, in Honduras, they are grappling for the opportunity

Lixa and Wilmer

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Lixa

Lixa's Hand
Lixa (7) and Wilmer (1 1/2 ) were born with a congenital physical anomaly called “pre-axial polydactyly.” This condition presents itself with an extra thumb. Both children were operated on in San Pedro Sula by an American Medical Brigade organized by The Ruth Paz Foundation. Lixa’s surgery was more complex because it contained bone in her extra digit. Wilmer’s was an easier surgery because it contained soft tissue.

We are thankful to the many American medical personel who donate their services in Honduras. And we are especially grateful to Mrs. Peggy Kipps (Exec. Director of the Ruth Paz Foundation) who is readily available in directing us to resources within country and introducing us to trustworthy physicians.

Wilmer

Wilmer's Hand

Why I Love Being Involved With Honduras

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

This post is written by Ricky Lania

Eight years ago, my mom told me we were going to have a little girl from Honduras live at our house while she received treatment for her clubfeet. As a 15 year old, I was hesitant about the idea of a baby from some foreign country staying with us because selfishly I knew it would affect my life. Little did I know just how big an affect it would be.

My involvement with Honduras has grown significantly over the years and while I’ve put in time and energy, I’ve received so much more in return. Initially, I just played with the children who were living at our home to help ease the transition. I can’t imagine what goes through their heads when they have to come to a new country, live with strangers who speak a different language, and have a major surgery. Attempting to remove any of the scariness and making our home a fun place to live was definitely important to me.

Stefany Club Feet As Stefany, Noel, and Astrid made return visits to the US and I started traveling to Honduras, I became much more connected with the children. It was then that it hit me how different the lives of these children who I had become so close to could have been. Stefany was born with feet looking like this:

Without surgery, she never would have been able to walk and would have been an outcast in her village her entire life. It always makes me smile when I see her able to run and be the little tomboy she truly is (she is not afraid to throw a punch).

Four years ago, Noel’s parents told me they would like me to be his Padrino (god father). I felt honored as Noel had become like another brother to me. While I definitely appreciated Mita and Muncho selecting me, Noel found a way to give me an even better gift when I was in Honduras in February. On my first full day in Honduras, I went to pick Noel up from his bilingual school. When I found him in a big auditorium, Noel wanted to walk me around. As we went by his classmates and friends, he would stop at each one, point at me, and tell them “this is MY padrino.” I can’t even describe how cool it felt that Noel cared so much about me that he wanted to show me off.

It hasn’t been just the children who have stayed at my house that has helped me develop a love for Honduras but also the people in Flores as well. Every time I am there, they could not be more helpful, protective, and caring. While these Hondurans comparatively have so little, they are always trying to do something to help me. This definitely provides a driving force for why I want to continue to help them. Whether its spreading the word, collecting donations, or applying for grants, knowing that they not only need help but sincerely appreciate it motivates me to find new ways to help.

For anyone who is interested in becoming involved, I definitely recommended it. There are so many different ways to help and I have no doubt you’ll find you get much more out it than you put in.

The Resiliency of the People

/ EsperanzaHFTC / Leave a comment

Honduran Family

It has been ten years since our journey to Honduras first began. During that time we have tried many things, made many mistakes and learned a great deal. One thing that stands out boldly is the resiliency of the Honduran people.

In this third world country, where the majority are living well below the poverty line; most lacking proper housing, medical care, educational opportunities and even clean water, they remain resilient.

Living life, facing daily struggles, is their norm. Many of our neighbors live day-to-day, meal-to-meal. Perhaps this is how they are able to “live in the moment”, not wasting their energy worrying about tomorrow or the “what if’s” of the past.

It seems to me that people living in poverty are faced with insurmountable challenges. We witness families having to decide whether to purchase medicine or food…they can’t afford both. We know people who work in deplorable conditions in order to earn a few meager dollars.

Accidents and early deaths are common. Whether it’s riding in a run down bus or car, prone to crash. Or living in a home without electricity where the occurrence of burns is high because of accidents with candles or open fires. We’ve known of children dying in pillas (used for washing), rivers, and being hit on the highway, crossing for school. This is life.

And yet, I never hear complaints…pleas for help perhaps, but no sense of entitlement. My dear friend, Ana said simply, “why wish for something you don’t have? I don’t miss it because I never had it.” So simple.

Facing daily adversities certainly makes the people strong…physically, emotionally, spiritually. We will continue to learn by our Honduran friends, and it will be humbling.