My Third Trip to Anapra Mexico

12 January 2010

The morning is really cold and in the low 40's. I join Sister Janet and Sister Carol and Siba at the New Mexico Convent. Siba is more than just a volunteer. She cooks all the lunches for the mothers 3X a week, provides for much of the support, by picking up and returning some of the mother's and children to the clinic and teaches Tai Chi when she is not doing a million other things. I feel in good company as we make our way across the Santa Teresa border crossing again. This time it is a clinic day, no special events going on. The children will be treated with baths, stretching, Reiki and the Mothers will have a Tai Chi session, be fed and supported as their new year begins.

It hasn't always been this way. Isidra, a mother of Angel who is now 26 years old. She continues to carry him from place to place as wheel chairs don't work in the sandy roads of Anapra. For decades she has struggled to take care of her son. She has been isolated, not having medical support, but they are both survivors and their lives have become better since the Sisters of Charity have created this clinic to provide the support she and her son need.

She is first on the scene and together we fill the whirlpool tub and get Angel into the warm water. She speaks to him in a soft, gentle voice and he seems to understand at some level and smiles back. He is totally incapacitated. We stretch his terribly spastic limbs and I marvel at his well defined musculature. He is an anatomy lesson in itself; as there is no body fat, just skin and bones and spastic muscles. He is quickly redressed, as the rooms are freezing even with the propane heaters. I give Isidra a break and carry Angel into the large room where she feeds him breakfast. Later we both give him a Reiki treatment together and I can get him into a flexed sitting position for the first time in his life of 26 years.

Sister Carol welcomes Brian back from the holiday break. He is very happy to see everyone, especially Sister Carol, who he calls Mom. Brian was born with spina bifida and a club foot, both of which has received surgical intervention. He is very bright and active. He goes to school now that the Sisters provide the diapers he needs for his incontinence. Carol and I give him a Reiki treatment after his bath and he has selected a newly clean outfit to wear. During his Reiki treatment he points to his back and says it hurts. We focus on that area and within minutes he smiles and states the pain is gone.

Two youngsters get bathed while another mother assists with the underwater stretching exercises.

A child receives his Reiki treatment from 2 other mothers.

Well padded mats allow one mother to put another child through a stretching routine.

I observe this child's sitting balance as she enjoys hearing the tuning fork that is set to the sound of Om. No wonder she is smiling. I would strike it and place it on her head and she would immediately sit up straighter.

The day winds down, but not before all the baths are done, the dishes are washed, the laundry is put into the hampers, the floors swept and mopped. All the mothers hug and kiss each other. It is clear that love permeates this environment. I am so moved by the dedication and care that is given by the Sisters and the mothers. It is truly inspiring to have been a small part of their process. I depart feeling full, and in awe of what has happened here in this desolate colonia of poverty and ravaged by the drug wars. A bright light is burning amidst the background of chaos. We can thank the Sisters of Charity, the volunteers and Jean Ferris for bringing Reiki into their world and for all the mothers who continue to come seeking help for their children.

For the other 2 visits to Anapra, please see photos and text in Jean's blog.

For more information about the clinic, their mission and ways you can support

Go to http://www.proyectosantonino.org/