Lino is a 53 year old Christian man from Pacifico. He was a farmer for many years but is now so sick he is unable to work. He suffers with Schistosomiasis, heart burn and liver disease.
He is very thankful for the help he received from Hope for the Island. He told us that he would be admitted to the hospital in Surigao City for observation and would need medication.
Jenny is from Australia and she visited Hope for the Island a few years ago as part of a team that brought water purification units. She recently returned to visit and gave of herself in a new and exciting way for us!
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.