Sometimes there are stark reminders of the poverty and disease that surround us daily. This story is one of those. An elderly woman brought a 14 year old, 40 lb. boy named Mark Anthony to us with an advanced case of Schistosomiasis. He was orphaned as a baby when his parents died of the same disease. Schistosomiasis, an often fatal illness, results from infection of the blood with a parasitic flatworm that causes debilitation as well as liver and intestinal damage. It is most commonly found in Asia, Africa and South America, especially in areas with water that is contaminated with fresh water snails which contain the parasite.