one step at a time is good walking

A couple of months ago my father received a phone call from Mundo. Mundo is the right hand of my great uncle, Manuel, who lives in Poza Rica, Veracruz. He told my father that Tio Manuel wasn’t doing too well. Both of his kidneys had stopped functioning and he refused to listen to his doctors advice. My father drove up there and took my grandmother so she could see her brother. In fact, several of his sisters were already up there (there’s 10 total siblings).

Everyone refused to tell my Tia Lupita (the oldest sister) due to her high blood pressure and own health issues. My dad says he was in the room trying to convince my uncle to eat something when Tia Lupita walked in very seriously with her walker, and demanded to know what was wrong? “Manuel, what is wrong with you?! Don’t you want to get better!” That’s kind of how we big sisters have to be with our younger siblings, firm and direct! My dad walked out he said that was a conversation between brother and sister.

Tio Manuel finally was convinced by the doctors and his family to take any means necessary to stay alive. He’s now living artificially, thanks to technology and modern medicine. He has dialysis 4 times a day, which takes 40 minutes each time. His son-in-law built him his own room where he has his own restroom and his own little clinic. His daughter and Mundo’s wife (Mony) are the ones that take care of the treatment. Personally, considering the circumstances, I think he’s pretty well off. . .some people can’t even afford that much if treatment alone! Tio Manuel is fed up with it all but should be recieving a machine soon that he can connect to all night long and not have to stop 4 hours each day to clean his blood.

We went out to breakfast to one of his favorite restaurants on the 27th. I was walking behind him and dad and snapped this shot. A couple of months ago there were tears in my dads eyes as he told me about his trip from visiting Tio Manuel and how he was very ill and he might not make it.

Who would have thought, months later, there we’d be all having coffee and biscuits, laughing, and talking about how he ended up in Poza Rica.

I can’t wait to print this one out for dad, he’ll love it!

Happy New Year Everyone!