We visit a village health center

Mr. Wizard and I visited a village health center with our friend Mr. Rasta. He goes there every day, including weekends, to have his dressing changed, since his tumor is now too massive for him to manage on his own. (Life Goes On is facilitating transportation for his dressing changes, and continue to do laundry for him each week.) I got to meet some of his nurses, see the clinic, and watch them change his dressing.

I was impressed.

The clinic was spacious with a large waiting room with educational materials on the walls and a TV. The exam room was well equipped. Everything was neat and very clean. And the nurses did an excellent job changing the dressing. (I have to admit they did a better job than I do, as they are not as messy I am)

I had the very pleasant task if delivering dressings to the clinic. Some kind readers of this blog, and nurses at the hospital where I worked, sent large boxes of dressing supplies for my friend. It was such a pleasure to get to give the nurses these supplies and Mr. R was very pleased also.

I am, of course, very concerned about the continuing growth of Mr. R's tumor and the noticeable weight loss we are seeing. His appetite is falling off and he is becoming weaker.

Mr. R. is Rastafari and has a deep love of all things of nature. We printed off the Hubble pictures of deep space for him and he marveled at discovering yet another source of nature's innate beauty, beyond the stars. These images spoke to his gentle soul the way they do to me, I think.

livingdominica: Thank you to those of you who went to the expense and trouble of sending supplies down to Mr. Rasta.

Thoughts on Suffering

I met with Mr. Rasta again yesterday, and things are getting worse for this poor man. He is very frustrated because his tumor is growing much bigger and the doctors here have said they cannot surgically intervene because of bleeding risks. As his tumor grows, he is becoming more isolated in his community. "People are afraid." Tears flow as he tells me about sitting alone in his poverty, hoping that a solution will appear.

I listen to him and try to communicate the acceptance and caring he needs as much as he needs food and medical attention. I give him a few things and agree to meet him next week at the Life Goes On house. Not much help. I feel pretty lame.

The Life Goes On house is a little haven for people living with HIV and their caregivers who may be shunned in their own communities. It is a place of support and acceptance where both body and spirit are nourished. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have this welcoming spot full of caring people when isolation and fear are ever present.

Of course funding is always an issue for Life Goes On. The bus needs fuel and insurance. The house always needs food to share with the community. Sometimes the needs here on Dominica seem like a bottomless hole where my little help is mostly futile. Just a drop in the bucket.

But, of course, if my drop is added to your drop and all the other drops, soon the bucket begins to fill.

Looking into the face of suffering is so difficult. It is easier to turn away, of course. We all have plenty of personal suffering (and it is much easier to focus on my own pain, rather than embrace the suffering of someone like Mr. Rasta). Helping can be like walking the razor's edge between the care of the self and care of others. At one time, during my hospice years, I allowed the suffering of others to swallow me whole. I am older now, and less likely to completely throw myself on that razor. But nontheless, living in a world of suffering does call to me to do something when I can. No matter how inadequate and lame it may be.

livingdominica: maybe it is time to read Ram Dass's How Can I Help again...

Dengue Alert

An interesting post about our Dengue situation in Dominica is found at The Woodshed Environment.

Living Past One Hundred on Dominica

Portrait of Ma Pampo by Powys Dewhurst


"It’s no secret.
You take fresh foods, clean water, pure air and lots of exercise. You add low stress, a loving family and strong belief in God. For Dominica’s centenarians, it all adds up to a longer and healthier Life." Or so says the Pan American Health Organization in their article about long lived Dominicans.

I am not sure what accounts for the longevity observed on Dominica, but this island is known for long years and good health into old age. Ma Pampo was 128 when she died!

Could it be because Dominica herself is alive? Beneath her fertile soil burns the largest concentration of volcanoes anywhere on earth. She is home to a lake which boils and hot spring mineral baths. Gases from a volcano bubbling at the ocean's edge creates the "Champagne", which attracts both tropical fish and snorkelers.

The living fertility of this island provides foods rich in nourishment, unlike tired factory farmed produce fertilized with three chemicals. Locals on Dominica eat food fresh from the garden, not picked green and shipped for days to consumers. Picking oranges or grapefruit in the garden warm from the sun, and squeezing fresh juice, I can taste the rich, living island in each mouthful.

Dominica's air is also amazing. A rainforested island, her winds are scrubbed clean by the Atlantic, then oxygenated by the dense foliage. I imagine being healed of the years of living in St. Louis during Ozone Warnings when, "People with respiratory problems should stay indoors".
I mean, don't we ALL have a respiratory problem if the air outdoors warrants warnings?

(I must admit Roseau can give me a headache, probably from concentrated pollution. But I avoid Roseau whenever possible.)

Do I expect to live as long as Ma Pampo? No, I don't. I do know I feel better here than anywhere else on earth. I feel truly alive here on this enchanting island.

Here is a directory of the Centenarians on Dominica.

livingdominica: I do so love that picture of Ma Pampo...