Leonel Culan

Two days ago we visited Leonel Culan in San Lucas Toliman.
Leonel was finally released after five months in the hospital. Leonel fell from a building he was working on and became a parapalegic.
We were all shocked to see the huge ulcer that he has . He was released from the hospital with no medication and only instructions for his wife to clean this wound. His wife has absolutely no experience with this type of care. The conditions in the house are very unsanitary. Leonel was also in quite a bit of pain. Thank goodness that donations were given to this family otherwise Leonel would be lying on a bed of wooden planks.

We immediately arranged for a nurse in the area to come twice a day to clean this wound and dress it.
We also arranged for him to be brought to the clinic yesterday in Panajachel. The nurse accompanied him and we bought them a month's supply of dressings and meds needed to clean the wound.
The doctor has taken a culture of this wound and wants to see him again next week.
It is thanks to all the donations that we have received to help this family that we are able to employ the nurse , she is charging $3 US a day to visit twice a day and to provide this medical help and transportation to him.

The house would have been totally impossible for him to live in without the modifications. As it is there a nice bright room for him and he will be able to wheel himself out to sit in the sunshine. The bathroom is almost complete and we are building a small kitchen. The property is very tiny.
When I asked the family what they were eating , Leonel told me that he was eating rice and noodles and that the only food they had was the food that we were supplying them.
We also gave them a good quantity of food when they came yesterday that should get them through the next two weeks.
The eldest daughter who was 15yrs old has just married her boyfriend and gone to live at his house. She is 4 months pregnant. This family has had a lot to deal with and they are still trying to come to terms as to how they will survive.
When we visited Leonel had his last disposable diaper on . A bag of disposable diapers costs approx. $9 US and has only 15 in it. This is obviously way beyond the cost of the family.
We will need ongoing support for this family for some time. Leonel thanked us many times for the help that we have given him and his family.
If Leonel was not receiving help right now, this terrible situation for the family would be much, much worse.
Thank you everyone who has been able to help us to help them.