Aug 7, 2008

HEALTH MATTERS: Immigrant wants kids to grow up healthy and educated

LJ Anderson / Daily News columnist

It is hard for Americans, used to a richly resourced health care system, to understand what it's like to live in a truly underserved country. But many of our most recent immigrants are well aware of the differences, and also haven't forgotten those back home who contend with long waits, poor access to services and lack many basic necessities of life.

Aydee Sickinger, a Bolivian immigrant and Mountain View resident, grew up in Sucre, the capital of Bolivia, in one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Two-thirds of its people are impoverished, and almost half of the population does not have running water. With malnutrition and a host of other prevalent health problems, babies and young children do not always survive. The probability of dying under the age of 5 is 61 per 1,000 live births; in the United States, it is eight. Bolivian life expectancy at birth for male and females is 64 and 67 years old; ours is 75 and 80.

Sickinger arrived in the United States in February 2000 knowing little English. She married an American, had two children, and in March 2005, sought out volunteer legal help to start a nonprofit organization, Hope and Future for Children in Bolivia (www.hfcbolivia.org), to help relieve the poverty she grew up in. An accomplished Bolivian dancer, Sickinger often puts on exhibitions to raise funds for her organization.

Q: What was it like for you growing up?

A: I come from a family of six children, and I remember not having a book or a notebook in which to write my notes when I went to school - and being told to go to the back of the class. I had shoes with holes in the bottom, and there was a white coat that we had to wear to school. I wore a very small one because we couldn't afford to buy a new one every year. Even with the poverty, though, my mom and dad were very united, and I have the best memories. They loved each other, and they gave us love. But not having the necessary tools hurt me in school. The first year that I came here, I said that I'm going to do something for the poor.

Q: What was the health system like for you?

A: There is universal care, but people don't have money to buy medications, and only some are covered. Basic things are covered so when I got common illnesses as a child, I was taken care of. More expensive things, such as a CT scan, are not. When someone gets sick in the rural areas, it takes a long time to get to the city - if they get there at all.

It is heaven here. You make an appointment to see a doctor for a certain date, and he or she sees you.

In Bolivia, if you have to see a doctor, you go at 6 a.m., or even earlier, to see if you can get a ticket to see a doctor - who may see 10 or 20 people that day. And people wait and wait and wait. If you need to see a specialist, it's even harder.

Q: How did this system and the poverty affect your family?

A: My father passed away of tuberculosis because we could not afford the treatments; he was 54 when he died. We took him to specialists when he first got TB. He would go for X-rays sometimes, and we had to pay for them. They said that it would require major treatment, which we could not afford. My older brother had a job, but salaries in Bolivia pay about $100/month, and the treatments cost more than that.

My mother died of injuries at age 56 after being hit by a bus. She was taken to a hospital, and we had to come up with $1,000 Bolivian dollars - about U.S. $150 - to have her head scanned because it was not covered by the government. But she had a hematoma, and they couldn't do anything for her.

(As for dental care,) I grew up with none whatsoever, and there is very poor (dental) education as well. Kids are not taught to brush their teeth and may just go for an emergency to have their teeth pulled. Having your teeth cleaned is a luxury. There are dentists, but care is very expensive - at least for the middle and lower classes. There is also poor nutrition and a lack of knowledge about it. The parents don't know, so kids don't eat healthy things, and there is no money to buy healthy foods. Fruits and vegetables are more expensive than rice or pasta, and people worry about filling their stomachs rather than eating something nutritious.

Q: What made you start this organization?

A: I have this dream to see children, not just in Bolivia, have health care, an education, and a better and more secure life. I wish that I was able to do more. I've struggled with my own family, being a mother, and trying to live in the Bay Area, which is so expensive. But my mom used to say, "Even though we don't have much, we always have something to give," and this is my passion. If I can do a little bit to make this world a better place to live, that's what I want to do.



LJ Anderson writes on health matters every Wednesday. She can be reached at lj.anderson@yahoo.com or www.ljanderson.com.