My Friend Willliam

Boy did it rain last night. The sort of rain that comes along only every so often. The sort of rain that has people stop whatever they are doing and stare through their windows in disbelief. The sort of rain that causes damage and flooding.

The rain really got me thinking about all of the people living in the “Jovencitos” (a term used to describe the squatter or invasion communities that encircle many of the urban centers in Latin America). Their floors are dirt and their roofs are woven mats. The rain for them is much more than a simple inconvenience.

Look, I am from Portland – we know rain; and the rain that came down over a short 5-hour period last night was amazing. This morning on my run I saw makeshift dams that people built with ciliar rocks (compressed volcanic ash that is quarrierd close to the surface in and around the Arequipa area; this is the etiology of the famous "White City") and dirt to divert the water from flooding their homes. The streets all around our area are caked with mud and dirt. The dirt roads that lead to the poorest settlement communities have been distorted from the channels of water that developed in the middle of the by-ways.

The rain really got me thinking about a young friend of mine living in a Jovencito in Lima. William, not his real name, is one of the lucky ones – sort of. He and his family live in the back of a restaurant high in the hills. Their floor is concrete and the roof that protects them from the elements is a finely placed corrugated structure. They never have to worry about the rain.

“I have a small ‘problemo’ that happens 4-5 times every day at school,” William told me. William’s “problem” has significantly altered his life. His problem has caused an otherwise shy 12-year old boy to retreat into isolation. His problem is taking a significant toll on his emotional and mental development.

William was born with hydrocephalus or “water on the brain” (it is actually a build up of CSF - but much folklore surrounds the idea of "water" accumulation). The developing world knows its fair share of hydrocephaly cases; and for the most part, has initiated the necessary resources to adequately deal with the population of patients afflicted with the condition.

When William was very young a shunt was place in his head that would drain the fluid into his abdomen. The procedure is not without risk, but a fairly common procedure none-the-less. When William was a bit older he had another surgery to replace the original shunt – this is where his “problemo” started.

As best I can tell from talking with William’s mother and examining the young boy – this second procedure brought a myriad of complications. The complication that most affects William (and an issue he refers to as his “problemo”) is born out of a problem with a tiny nerve. During William’s second procedure the nerve that helps him control his bladder function and his anal sphincter was cut. This seemingly minor issue has led to fecal and urinary incontinence.

“I can handle the ‘problemo’ – it is just the smell. I am really embarrassed for the smell.”

William wears protective undergarments. He told me that we can go through up to 10 pair of “protection” per day. He always fears that time at school when he runs out of “protection.” He fears the inevitable attention and ridicule that comes.

His family is very poor – and although they work to ensure that William has enough “protection” to attend school, he never has enough.

HBI is working with the Anglican Church to develop a nursing care coordinator position. We envision a position that will train a person that will be available to advocate for William’s needs, help with care enrollment for Ines, and work to connect the dots of care for many of the fragile children living in desperate poverty in the Pueblos Jovenes of Lima.

Please keep William in your thoughts, your prayers, your meditations, your good intentions. Please help us to let William know that he is not alone.