Summer 2017

June 17, 2017

It's been almost a year since I have worked with Don Sergio. Accompanying me this trip includes Ethan, my nephew who has been twice before, first year med student Khiem Tran, his wife Dr. Vivian Shi and Dr. Ken Iserson and 5 large bags of medical supplies. 

Our travels getting to Chiapas were delayed due to American Airlines failing transfer our luggage to our DFW - Mexico City flight causing us to miss our connection to Chiapas. We arrived a day late at Bela's; thankfully we made it safely. Dr. Iserson made it the night before as he took a different flight to Mexico City.

L>R: First year med student Khiem Tran, Ethan, Dr. Vivian Shi, Dr. Ken Iserson, and our exceptional host Bela.

We had a little time to clean up, have a wonderful home cooked meal at Bela's, then we were off to the museum. Sergio's museo clinic was packed with the usual cases: a child with a hot water burn, chronic venous stasis ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and older man who fell in the fire and whose back was severely burned along with a few other burn victims. Sergio had told his patients that we were coming so the museo was packed with many others seeking help our US medical team.

Drs. Shi and Iserson went to work quickly.

We were glad to see Don Sergio, Anita and Edith; their constant dedication continues to amaze me. They work quietly and efficiently with what few things they have available.  We all found our places of need and went to work.

After a long first evening we went out for pizza then home to Bela's for a much needed good nights' rest.

House call for a recently injured man who will remain a paraplegic has a bed ulcer Don Sergio has been attending.

Team work, L>R: Dr. Shi, Don Sergio, Patricia.

Dr. Iserson, an ER physician, was in great demand for his general medicine skills.

Tour to Chamula by Adriana Manago

July 15, 2015

I had the honor of accompanying Physician Assistant Patricia Ferrer and Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Eldred on a tour to San Juan Chamula with Don Sergio Castro one beautiful sunny day in July 2015. Patricia had told me Sergio's story and how he came to be known as "St. Sergio of Chiapas" through his selfless dedication to poor communities in the region. But words fail to transmit all that St. Sergio means to the people he has served. 

Sergio's life work and his way of being in this world is best understood in the presence of the emotions he elicits from people in communities such as Chamula. As we walked through the streets on our way to the spiritual centerpiece of the town, the church of San Juan Bautista, Don Sergio brought smiles, laughter, and reverence from all the men and boys in the church square. 

It seemed all felt a special connection to Don Sergio in his unassuming blue handkerchief and cowboy hat. I felt I was walking alongside a ray of hope in the world, a reminder that although good seems to disappear for some time, it will always return. But it was the embrace in the main streets with an elderly woman that moved me to tears. This woman could not speak and I do not know sign language, but her gestures, the look in her eyes, and the way she nestled so closely into Don Sergio’s arms told me everything I needed to know. Her hands up to the sky, then to her heart and mouth, and then melting into Don Sergio’s arms, she told me how Don Sergio saved her life with his medicine and that he was pure love. A love that heals you because it tells you that you are not alone in the world and that we are all here to care for each other.

Inside the church, the floor covered with fragrant pine needles and lit candles, Don Sergio explained in his soft and gentle manner what St. John the Baptist represents to the people of Chamula, the history of the church, and the native view of healing through “curanderos,” elder men and women healers who are thought to have a heightened ability to communicate with the saints. 

With nothing but reverence for this indigenous way of life so different from how he was raised, Sergio explained how the curanderos come to the church with their patients, light candles, offer sacred pox (a liquor made from corn) and now coca-cola, pray, and wait for the message from the saints about the best course of action. They use the fizzy drinks to expel gas, and thus metaphorically, expel the spiritual disharmony that ails them. The message from Don Sergio was simple and profound: This is their cosmovision and their reality is as legitimate as any other. In this way Don Sergio walks among the curanderos of the indigenous peoples of southern Mexico, utilizing resources he has from Western Medicine, but always humbly recognizing that there is something greater than all our scientific knowledge, and that the sometimes the best we can do is just simply care for others.

Adriana M Manago is an assistant professor of psychology at Western Washington University, specializing in cultural developmental psychology. She conducts research in the Maya community of Zinacantán, studying how sociocultural changes associated with modernization and the proliferation of communication technologies are connected to patterns of change in social development during adolescence and the transition to adulthood.

La vida en Chiapas/Life in Chiapas

July 11, 2015

Life in Chiapas is not easy. The number of patients coming through the clinic and the variety of injuries and ulcers continues to surprise me.

In Teopisca we are caring 2 1/2 year-old girl with a superficial 2nd degree burn on the top of her left foot.
She may whimper a little but does not cry.

One gentleman, 50-something, has both hands severely injured. He told us he was in a fight and someone tied his hands with a rope and dragged him along a road. The rope slipped off his hands taking the full thickness of the skin off his thumbs exposing his bones. The wounds are healing however, his metacarpal phalanges (bones base of thumbs) are clearly visible. With this injury he probably has a bone infection (osteomyelitis) and we hope the skin will grow over it.  His left thumb joint appears to be almost separated and I’m not sure he will ever recover use of it.  He has lost considerable use of both hands right now.

 

Alfonso (premed) and Cesar (2nd yr med student) debride the wound on the right hand of this gentleman.

Then we have the lovely 33 year-old woman who accidently chopped off the end of her right pinky finger in cooking accident. She complains of pain all the way to her neck. She went to the hospital and had to wait and there did not seem to be much they could do. For repeated wound changes she drinks herself into oblivion to deal with the pain.  We had lidocaine so we’d numb the base of the finger (digital block) in order to do the necessary wound care to help the open edge of the finger heal. She claimed to have felt our every move.

Six and a half months after this man's initial burn injury,
Sergio continues to provide wound care until it heals.
See blog posting January 11, 2015.

The young man with the circumferential burn of the right leg (from thigh to ankle) we cared for in January is still a regular patient. He is healing well although slowly. We go to his home for dressing changes as he is unemployed and counts on his brother to help him out.

Then the usual diabetic ulcers caused from poorly controlled diabetes and people wearing inadequate foot wear. One 47 year-old woman had an ulcer on her left foot under the base of her big toe. I pared down the callous and found a deep ulcer. It took me a good 25 minutes, then I asked to see her other foot and she had the same type of ulcer on that foot as well. She brought in what she says are ‘diabetic shoes’ and they are Dr. Scholl’s shoes with a high heel lift that directs more pressure (from body weight) on the areas of the ulcers.

Education about diabetes and all the complications that may arise from inadequate control is sorely lacking. This area needs a system in place to train the locals to become community health workers and reach out to the people regularly. It seems we are in a quagmire of being reactive to problems instead of pro-active.

In the midst of all these difficult situations, I was able to find
 a local restaurant that allowed me to have my "breakfast at Wimbledon".
La Paloma is off the Hildago walking street.  As others suffer daily, I have
the privilege to indulge in my pleasures.....it all boils down to luck and being born
in the US....I won the lottery.

Friends of Sergio Indiegogo Campaign 2015

Thanks to Don Sergio’s Friends, our Indiegogo campaign was a success beyond our goal. I presented Don Sergio with a mock check disclosing the amount raised from the campaign. Several people gave to the campaign outside of the Internet process.

To all we THANK YOU!!

"Thank you all my friends for supporting my work."
Don Sergio Castro.

Don Sergio was surprised and very pleased. This money will tide him over for the next 4 – 6 months, relieving his financial burden of wound and burn care.

For those unaware of medical wound and burn care, it is very costly. The US has many burn hospitals to care for these horrific accident victims, and Mexico opened up their first burn hospital in 2011 (Mexico City). As for wound care clinics, there are many throughout the US: you will not find a major city without one. Here, there are none, at least in Chiapas. Sergio is a one-man wound care clinic, however, as I will post later, this may be changing....at least this is our hope.

Wound care is very costly due to the frequent visits and constant changing of dressings (wound care supplies are not cheap). Diabetes is rampant and once an ulcer starts it is hard to heal when the patient has uncontrolled diabetes and lives in poor conditions. Mexico has one of the highest rates of diabetes.

For those interested in continuous support we have extended the Indiegogo campaign to ‘indemand’, to accept funds indefinitely.

For those of you who’ve never visited Chiapas or San Cristóbal de las Casas, I encourage you to see this magical city and pay a visit to this incredible human being.

Indiegogo Fundraiser for Don Sergio

Photo taken by Justin McManus of Australia. For more photos go to: Justin McManus Photography.

The January trip working with Don Sergio was a whirlwind. He and I spent very little time together with all that occurred around that time with his family. From my home in Tucson he and I speak once every 2-3 weeks.

An avid support, Carla Woody who is founder of Kenosis, has donated kindly from her special guided trips through Chiapas. She always makes a special trip with her group to stop and visit with Don Sergio. Through numerous phone calls and help from another friend in San Cris, Don Sergio received the donation at such a crucial time of need...which for him, is almost always!

Meanwhile, those close to me recommended an Indiegogo fundraiser for Don Sergio.
So, here it is: Indiegogo Mexican Healer Who Asks for Nothing in Return

My partner, Bruce, and I once again scoured the internet for any new postings or blog reports from those who have recently met or reported about his work. We found both old and new.

John Scherber, a US citizen traveling all through out Mexico, came across Don Sergio and of course could not resist, like many, to not say anything.  Don Sergio humanitarian work is so compelling one just can't keep it to oneself.  Here is his report from April 2015 visit: http://www.blogster.com/johnscherber/the-chiapas-report-vi-sergio-castro

In the blogging archives we also found a professional photographer's visit with Don Sergio but are uncertain of the year. His story was written before I met Don Sergio; pre-2008 and I found that his experiences then are now mine. Justin McManus knows how to tell a story and take photos that are more descriptive than can be verbalized. Some great shots of Don Sergio, some heart-wrenching photos of Don Sergio's patients. His story, with photos, was published in The InSight Press.

As a follow-up to the patient, Petrona, that Justin reports on, here is a video I took several years later (unaware of Justin's reporting). If you have the time, please see the photos from Justin and read his blog, then click on the video below. You will see that Don Sergio uses all gifts bestowed to him by nature and Petrona is living proof that miracles can happen.

For those who have met Don Sergio or anyone interested, we encourage you to consider an Indiegogo donation to help this tireless humanitarian and share this with friends.  It is our hope that I can present Don Sergio with the fully funded amount when I see him in July this summer.

Posted by Patricia Ferrer, PA-C.

Don Sergio in the New York Times August 2013

Don Sergio Never Changes

This visit I find Don Sergio doing the exact same thing he has done for many years: ".......crisscrosses this city to treat the intimate struggles behind its closed doors." as quoted from the recent New York Times article written by Elisabeth Malkin and video by photojournalist by Janet Jarman.

Arriving last night and expecting to have Sunday off was a mistake. Don Sergio had four patients to see today: two of which we seem to be providing palliative wound care (bed ulcers) and the other two with chronic ulcers that will take a very long time to heal with his resources. Not much has changed: same difficult wounds and ulcers, different patient, limited resources.

Our day started at 1030am and passed very quickly. Don Sergio happened to have a visitor he met several days prior during one of his tours:  an alternative healthcare provider (a Reiki and massage therapist) who has lived in Cozumel for the last 15 years. Her English and Spanish are impeccable which came in very handy for me.  I consider myself proficient but not fluent and her ear is much better than mine.

I had the pleasure of showing Don Sergio the hard copy NYT article today as he rarely gets on the internet and of course does not receive the NYT on his doorstep. He was very pleased with this, more so than I expected. He knows Janet put and enormous amount of time in doing the photos over the last year which required several trips. The 'behind the scene's team' that has been helping Don Sergio for the last several years was elated. We've known all along the value and magnitude of his work, the need of support and we've embraced his "just do it" ideas for the betterment of his community for the short and long term. 
 
From Don Sergio "Gracias por su apoyo".


  
Monster Green (the suitcase) has carried hundreds of pounds of medical supplies over the years..its time to leave it here. Don Sergio will use it for storing the extra Indigenous gifts he's received over the years.

 

 Succulents at Casa de Bela

Sergio and Elsa in San Miguel de Allende

Tuesday October 25, 2011

Animated Don Sergio chatting with Ivan.

We all made it to San Miguel de Allende. Kathleen and I met Mary and Ivan at their home where they were hosting Don Sergio and Elsa. After visiting for a couple of hours we met Consuelo, John, Betsy, Jane and the Vice President of Patronato Por Ninos at their clinic. This organization was started 40 years ago by one woman and has become a primary care facility that works with the Mexican government providing care for children. If they cannot provide the care the patients need (specialty services) they find a way by outsourcing care for their patients. The work involved to get this organization where it is today has been tremendous and the children of the SMA area benefit.

A visit to Patronato Por Ninos.

Afterwards we went to El Mirador: a vista in San Miguel. We ran into Consuelo’s parents who were on a tour and just happened to stop at that same place. In two taxis we went to back to Mary’s for comida (lunch). This was a time we all had a chance to visit with Sergio and Elsa and see how we can continue to help support his humanitarian work.

The group at El Mirador. Left to right: Consuelo (director El Andalon), Betsy (My Mexico Tours), Don Sergio, Elsa, me, Jane, Consuelo's mother, Consuelo's father, Kathleen.


After comida, tres leches cake for Don Sergio and Elsa.

The showing of El Andalon started at 7:15pm. Afterward Consuelo, John, Betsy and I went up on stage for questions and answers while Mary and Ivan added information about Don Sergio and the people he serves. Many wanted to know, “Who is going to continue his work after he’s gone?”, “Who helps him with the schools?”, “Why doesn’t the government help these villages with the schools?”, “Why are there not medical organizations from the US coming to help?” We've all had these questions and there are no easy answers. This maverick humanitarian has the trust of the local people of San Cristóbal because he's answered the call when they need help.

The most important question: “How can we help?”. This is a typical response after seeing the film. Our answers were: buy the DVD (proceeds go to Don Sergio), show it to your friends, donate, and join our team in bringing awareness about his work. (Please contact me here if you are interested in helping Don Sergio in any capacity.)

Finally, Consuelo and John had the pleasure of introducing Don Sergio and Elsa. The audience stood in awe, many were to tell me later, “I felt like I was in the presence of a saint”. They were, and so were we. Sergio, in his humble manner, thanked us, Elsa, and everyone for coming and their support and invited all to San Cristóbal. He said his gift is to help people and his humanitarian work is why he is here on this earth.

We stood in the foyer of the theater answering questions as Mary, Ivan and Don Sergio quietly went home. The theater employees finally had to brush us out the door. We ended up across the street to sit and chat with each other and visited until 11:pm and then slowly walked to our respective hospedajes (lodgings).

Tomorrow Kathleen and I bus it to Mexico City to catch our flight to Tuxtla. Sergio and Elsa will stay in San Miguel and there will be a display at the library of Don Sergio’s textile collection where he will be present and answer any questions.

Today felt like two days in one it was so busy and productive. Mary and Ivan did an incredible job organizing the event and our host Louise made our stay very comfortable. After being here two days I can see why people live here: the climate is cool in the evening and warm during the day, the plants lush, the activities many, the aesthetics of the city impeccable.







Posted by Patricia Ferrer