Mario and Marta battling diabetes.

Hi Everyone,

We posted about Mario and Marta back in January. They are still waiting for help and very much in need of receiving some assistance.

Mario contracted diabetes when he was 27 years old. A whole life of poverty and struggle have always made it difficult for Mario and his wife, Marta, to buy the medications he needs or stick to the necessary diet. The staple food for Guatemalans are corn tortillas, and Guatemalans living in poverty often eat very little else--tortillas con sal (with salt) are used to fill hungry bellies when there isn't money even for beans. 20 years of inconsistent medication and this type of diet have taken a heavy toll on Mario. He is blind in both eyes, and he must undergo dialysis four times every day because his kidney have failed, and he is anemic. He is unable to work, and he struggles even to walk. The medical bills that he and his family have amassed are enormous.

Marta and Mario do the dialysis in their home, pumping liquid into his abdomen to soak up the toxins in Mario's body, and then pumping it back out again. At first, they didn't have a proper bathroom in their home, and Mario suffered frequently from infections as a result of the poor hygiene. By the kindness of their community and the mayor, a proper bathroom was constructed for them, and the infections have stopped.

Mario became blind in late 2009. At this time his wife also was forced to reduce her working hours, as Mario needs full time care. In addition to taking care of her husband, Marta also has two children, aged 8 and 2, still living at home. She herself was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago, so she does what she can to manage it with exercise and diet as much as possible. She has had trouble with her eyesight and five years ago she was prescribed glasses, but they broke a year and a half ago and she hasn't been able to afford replacements.

To read more about Mario and Marta's story or to help them,
please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2011/03/mario-and-marta-cant-treat-their.html

or

http://mayanfamiliesconnectionguatemala.blogspot.com/2011/03/mario-and-marta-cant-treat-their.html

Thank you for any help you can give them.

Bonnie