Laura needs a new heart and a new kidney...only then some of her other problems can be addressed. Laura has multiple physical problems that manifested themselves when she was about 13 years old.
She has a enlarged heart, hypertension, chronic anemia,convulsions, recurring facial paralysis, ovarian cysts, need for thrice-weekly dialysis, uncontrolled arterial pressure (rapid changes from high pressure to low pressure) and extreme myopia among other conditions. Although she is 20 years old, she looks 13. She needs oxygen everyday, can't walk far without needing a wheelchair and changes all of her own surgical dressings to save money.
Her attitude is "if this is the life that God has chosen for me, there must be a reason". Perhaps the reason to to help you open your heart to Laura and her family. Laura's mother works a few hours a day making and selling tacos near her home. She can not work far away or for long hours because Laura needs constant help, constant attention. Guadalupe (Laura's mother) is also a very faithful woman who is also living out the life God gave her with grace and dignity. Laura's father is not around... we don't know if he is dead or if he is a deadbeat. Either way, there is not help from him, no support for the family.
Laura Fernanda Sabido Coronado (20 years) lives with her mother and younger sister in a very basic house in a low-income area of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. We met Laura and her family in late September of 2008 while on the annual planning trip for Mano Amiga roofing projects for Feb. and March 2009. Tito (Abog. José Vicente Tún Velázquez, a Merida attorney and businessman and a long-time friend of Mano Amiga) asked if Mano Amiga could help a needy family in Merida with a roof. He told us that his church would build the walls and pour the floor for a room for Laura. When we met Laura and her family, there was no question that Mano Amiga would take on this extra project.
We recently revisited Laura and learned of her need for a blood pressure monitor. The women's group at Christ Lutheran Church, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, responded to this need with a donation of the monitor and some extra funds to help with dressings, creams and bandages that Laura uses everyday. Since we first met Laura in September 2008, she has had three surgeries as of the date of this posting (Nov. 24, 2008).
Her Needs:
Laura medical needs are vast. Much of her medical care is gratis or low cost, but she needs to travel to Mexico City to get on the heart transplant list... and that costs more than her family can afford. Laura also has more mundane medical needs... help with transportation to her thrice-weekly dialysis treatments, help with glasses, help with her daily dressing changes. Laura probably has never had a professional haircut nor a shower in hot water nor new clothes. Things we take for granted, are just dreams to Laura. Laura also needs a bed... not even a new one... just a bed. She sleeps in a hammock (as does all of her family) and told us that a bed would be much more comfortable for her since she has various tubes attached to her body... and they catch in the hammock. Of course, a bed means sheets, pillows and pillow cases.
How to Help:
Donate Money
You can send money to Mano Amiga directed to Laura and her care. Mano Amiga is a 501 c (3) corporation and is recognized as a charitable non-profit by the IRS. Donations made to Mano Amiga are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Any money sent to Mano Amiga in this manner will be used to directly aid Laura and her family with no administrative expenses eating away at your donation. Designate your gift (a bed, for instance) or let your gift go where it is most needed at the time. Donated goods, such as clothing, are more difficult to deal with since they must be either shipped to Mexico or hand-carried. If there is a special situation regarding either goods or services, contact Tom or Denis directly.
Send monetary donations to:
Mano Amiga, Inc., c/o Tom Thiets,
1710 Johnson Drive, Stillwater, MN 55082 USA
Contact Tom at: tthiets@trinitylc.org
Contact Denis at: denislarsen@yahoo.com
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