Letter 1 : Poor Luisa
I have just returned to France for three to four months and this story is the first which comes to my mind: In May, 2 young women came to visit my house recommended by my contractor. One of them wanted to sell his own house to build a smaller one and to capitalize the difference. In fact she had just lost her husband and remained at 38 years with 3 children and the debts. He killed himself while cleaning his weapon. Though some say that a close bankruptcy undoubtedly pushed him to commit suicide. Second fore-mentioned Luisa was her classmate. They were both graduate of ` Saint Paul College' founded in Dumaguete in 1904 by the French nuns of Our Lady of Chartres. Luisa had divorced a German and had left his son in Germany for reasons, which I still ignore.
Some days later Luisa asked me whether she could borrow some books because she had seen my imposing collection of American thrillers. She also said that she would be at the hospital in Cebu city for the ablation of a breast because of a cancer diagnosed two years earlier and non treated since.
I thus brought her the books to Cebu where 2 days before she had been operated. She then made me share her projects to go back in her family in Dipolog, in the North of Mindanao, to follow a chemotherapy there. She also said that she would never find a husband again because she will never have the money for a breast. reconstruction. The days passed and we exchanged a SMS from time to time (In December 2006, the Philippines were champions of the world with 1.2 billion SMS per day.) A few days before my departure on June 15, 2007,She asked my opinion on alternative medicines and I replied that I hardly believed in it. She answered me that she did not have an other choice because her insurance health did not cover the chemo and that her family did not have money. A session of chemo costs 13 to 15 000 pesos (220 to 250 euros) However accustomed to the country, this news upset me, the French accustomed so much to our Social Security system. I thus called different people including a guy in charge of a NOG in Cebu city, asking whether there were not any solution. NOGs or others being able to deal with the expenses. I suspected it but the answer was NO. In any case nothing, which cannot beat a cancer speed. Since she sends me a SMS once in a while and asked me recently to light a candle for her in Lourdes. Not easy for me who lives near Paris. I told her that it would be a Parisian church and was satisfied with it. Luisa is not poor, she belongs to the middle-upper class so how about all innumerable poor of this beautiful country.
Some days later Luisa asked me whether she could borrow some books because she had seen my imposing collection of American thrillers. She also said that she would be at the hospital in Cebu city for the ablation of a breast because of a cancer diagnosed two years earlier and non treated since.
I thus brought her the books to Cebu where 2 days before she had been operated. She then made me share her projects to go back in her family in Dipolog, in the North of Mindanao, to follow a chemotherapy there. She also said that she would never find a husband again because she will never have the money for a breast. reconstruction. The days passed and we exchanged a SMS from time to time (In December 2006, the Philippines were champions of the world with 1.2 billion SMS per day.) A few days before my departure on June 15, 2007,She asked my opinion on alternative medicines and I replied that I hardly believed in it. She answered me that she did not have an other choice because her insurance health did not cover the chemo and that her family did not have money. A session of chemo costs 13 to 15 000 pesos (220 to 250 euros) However accustomed to the country, this news upset me, the French accustomed so much to our Social Security system. I thus called different people including a guy in charge of a NOG in Cebu city, asking whether there were not any solution. NOGs or others being able to deal with the expenses. I suspected it but the answer was NO. In any case nothing, which cannot beat a cancer speed. Since she sends me a SMS once in a while and asked me recently to light a candle for her in Lourdes. Not easy for me who lives near Paris. I told her that it would be a Parisian church and was satisfied with it. Luisa is not poor, she belongs to the middle-upper class so how about all innumerable poor of this beautiful country.
A découvrir aussi
- Map of the Philippines
- March 2011, from 11 to 23: Mag-abo house and Dumaguete
- November 23, 2011: The funny story of this blog’s author and the little mouse
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