On Saturday, my sister and I volunteered at a medical clinic/fair that is held once a month in the central area of Phoenix. This clinic is free and offers Pap exams, medical consultations, eye check-ups, and Blood and Cholesterol tests.
The majority of people that attended the clinic this month were mostly Hispanics who didn't speak English or didn't have insurance. Okay, to be honest, I was volunteering because A) I wanted to translate and hear Medical gossip on a first-hand basis, B) Needed/Wanted to score some Community Service hours, C) It's better than volunteering at a...I don't know, hmm...answering phones?
Point is, I couldn't believe all the stories I heard and to be honest, I got home quite depressed and feeling helpless. Since I obviously can't say (and don't remember) the names of the patients I'll just tell you two of the most shocking cases I translated. Number one, was a Mexican guy in his 50s who suffered from severe stomach aches, acid heart burn, and shoulder/chest pain. He told "me" that he's been suffering from heart burn for about five years, and even just drinking water gives him a burning heart burn, and even if he takes over-the-counter medication the heart burn goes away for an hour but comes back. He later said that it's not even heart burn anymore, it's just plain out long lasting burning. The nurse asked me to ask him how many times he eats a day, and the man said only once, which is when he gets home from work. This guy had a really bad breath, which I think it had to do with the heart burn and his insides, which really put me in a very alert state of wondering if he might die soon. Later on, when I saw my sister I asked her what she think he might have and she said that it might be Ulcers.
The next person was a lady in her 60s who I believe came from a Dialect speaking region of Latin America. Again, the nurse asked me to ask her when was the last time she had eaten and she answered that she ate around 5 the evening before the test. The nurse then asked me if she hadn't eaten anything before the test because of the test itself or because she didn't have food/money, but how can I ask someone if they hadn't eaten because they didn't have money? It just feels very uncomfortable, so I went around the question and she didn't answer anything, then the nurse assumed it was because she didn't have money or food. Then the nurse discreetly asked me to go downstairs and bring her up two subs from the tray of subs that were provided for the volunteers--very under the table.
I know that the way I'm writing all this isn't shocking at all, or maybe as important as it was, but now I truly know the meaning of the sentence "You had to be there to believe it." When the clinic was over, I went home and reflected about all these people and their situations, because I couldn't help myself not to, then in the less snobby way possible I said "I'm so lucky for not being in their situation" and really appreciated all the things I have, and I even felt like I was part of God's few favorites. I felt very depressed at the thought that there are many people out there who have been feeling unexplainable pains for years, and who doesn't have any type of insurance or medical treatment, and who still go to work. Then I thought about all those American twenty-five-cents asking homeless persons out there, who possess the virtue of being American, with all the American benefits who did/do not do anything to get themselves back on their feet. I started to think many things at once, such as these people being exploited and not having any type of medical benefits, working under minimum wage, and who might be dying. Isn't that kind of sick and just plain out wrong?
I think that not been able to have medical benefits while you're illegal in this country is more than enough punishment. There has to be a way, where everyone can have a safe and healthy live--regardless of their legal status, because I believe that just as much as these "illegals" benefit themselves from working here illegally, America benefits itself by paying them minimum wage and not giving them benefits. So my promise is, that if I ever can afford a medical clinic of some sort when I'm older, I will do so--mostly aimed at anyone who really needs it and can't have American benefits.
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