For better or worse, my instincts were correct. Rosita was having absence seizures, and today, unfortunately, she had a grand mal seizure. I forgot how scary seizures can be for those who are not accustomed to them, so I was shocked when one of the volunteers ran into my classroom screaming that they needed help. I ran out and Rosita was on the ground having a seizure, and three of the local moms were assisting her. They looked at each other and yelled to get the “soap?” No, I must not be hearing that correctly with my broken Spanish, but one of the moms took off running for the office while I tried to tell the others that Rosita needed something under her head which was smashing up and down on the concrete floor. We found a jacket and put it under her head just as the mom returned with yes- the soap. They started putting the soap under her nose as they believed that the smell would stop the seizure. Obviously, this is not true but, guess what? Eventually the seizure stopped so, of course, it was thanks to the soap smell. (Not- but I can see how they made that connection). Despite me requesting otherwise, as soon as the seizure stopped, the moms wanted Rosita to get up and walk around- you know, walk it off. I tried to explain that she was tired, and they did agree that often happens, so they let her sit down. As soon as she sat down, she started to have the absence seizures again (similar to yesterday) which cycled for about 15 minutes. I explained to one of the other volunteers who is fluent in English and Spanish what was happening, and he translated to the moms, but they just said that we were wrong, and Rosita was sleeping (same as yesterday.)

When all the seizures finally stopped, we decided to walk Rosita to her house as it was very close to the school. Her mom met us at the door and told us that she had been having seizures since she was 9 years old, but they had gotten worse lately. We told her to have Rosita rest, and we would let Rosmery (the director) know, so they could talk about it.

I got to listen in on the meeting, and Rosita’s mom told Rosmery that Rosita had her first seizure at 9 years old. The mom and dad thought she was dying, because they didn’t know what was happening. They took her to the doctor who diagnosed her with epilepsy (which is not likely correct since these are not epileptic seizures but instead a product of her disability – but I digress). The doctors also told them that the seizures were likely caused by a fall (also incorrect.). The mom remembered her falling a few days before the first seizure so – presto- that explains what happened. (Kind of like the soap stopping the seizure). The mom told us that recently she and the dad have been fighting a lot about Rosita. They have been angry enough to hit her in the head, and the doctor has told them that is why the seizures are increasing. (Again, wrong and think of the guilt!).

The mom also told us that she called the doctor after the morning episode to talk about the seizure. He told her that it’s likely from a fever (What? She is not even sick!) so he would come by to give her some fever medicine, and then she should be fine. The mom also said that someone (not sure if it was the doctor or not) told her that having Rosita listen to music was also likely to prevent future seizures, so she would be doing that, too. So, pretty much all the information that the mom has is wrong.

After the meeting, I told Rosmery that I wasn’t sure all the information was correct (and the other two volunteers at the meeting agreed with me as we first discussed it in English before addressing the situation- one advantage to being in a Spanish speaking country where no one understands our English!). Rosmery pretty much said that the information the mom had was good enough, and, since the doctor was coming by to see her, everything would be fine. (Obviously not the best doctor but what do you expect from the neighborhood doctor who makes house calls in the poorest part of Peru.)

After this, I spent part of the afternoon talking with one of the other volunteers, Emma. Emma (from Switzerland) is just out of college with a psychology degree. She was really frustrated as she knew that the information was clearly wrong, and she felt like we needed to let them know. I told her that as much as she may want to “fix” this, we can’t- in the short time we are here, we cannot change their world, and, even if we were here for the next 20 years, it’s really not our job to do so. Even though we may be shocked by what we see, this is their life. Many of these people will never leave the dirt blocks of their small neighborhood. Most are not educated and, when just surviving is your day to day routine, things like caring for seizures are not even on your radar.

So then, why are we here? As my saying goes, I may not be able to change the world, but I believe that I can make a difference in some small way. Here, I think that difference is to give these kids a few hours a day when they get to just be kids. They get to come to Hilo Rojo and be fed and play and laugh and, if we’re lucky, maybe even learn a little something. They get to forget their difficult lives and be happy and, maybe in that happiness, they find some hope. Because, to me, that is what everyone in this area needs- hope. Hope that they will have food, shelter, clothing, and love. And, you know what, for a few hours each day, we get to give them that, and I truly believe that is why we are here.