It is newsletter time again! I have a story this month â about 16 year old Marcos Anccasi who was mauled by a street dog 13 years ago. Marcosâ mother came to Julio,
knowing something about the work that the Qâewar Project was doing, and
asked for help for her son.
Marcos was only 3 years old when a dog ripped off half of his nose and gave him tremendous bruises and wounds on his head and face. But 13 years ago, Marcos received
absolutely no medical attention after the mauling and his life from that point was a series of heartbreaking realities. His mother abandoned him into the care of relatives who maltreated him, (his father he never knew) and he experienced nothing but rejection from his peers. Nobody wanted to be with him because his face was so disfigured.
After only 3 years of primary school, Marcos quit, and was pretty much fending for himself.
But just recently, his mother reappeared and sought out help from the Qâewar Project. Happily, through the intervention of Dr. Lisa, a Swiss medical doctor and teacher of
eurythmy (the âart of visible speechâ), help was on its way. Dr. Lisa
is a close friend of Heidi, Qâewarâs indefatigable European doll
distributor, and she was approached by Heidi to see if she could help
Marcos. And so the process started.
After many consultations, medical tests and examinations, surgery was elected. May 5, 2005 was the first of three phases of surgery for Marcos. Phase I involved the
reconstruction of his nose, using tissue from a couple of different
locations on his body. Phase II (mid-June) and III will involve
improving his ability to breathe through his nose, then in 6 months to
a year, he will receive cosmetic surgery.
It was through the information from Lucyâs nursing sister at a Cuzco hospital that a North
American surgeon from âWorld Visionâ was called in to perform the
initial delicate operation. Dr. Lisa would like to continue helping
Marcos, having him return to school, complete secondary school and
learn a trade. In the long haul, she would like to support his efforts
to find a viable profession. Marcosâ future now, thanks to the great
financial generosity of Dr. Lisa, is open and he can feel hope and
greater confidence in himself as he heals.
It is wonderful too, to note that Violeta, one of our Qâewar seamstresses, is a trained
nurse and is working twice a day with Marcos, administering injections,
changing his dressings and performing the usual nursing functions.
Some other news now! The 15 Qâewar Saturday knitters were given a pay raise
to celebrate Motherâs Day. And all the knitters, doll-makers and
weavers received donated clothing and other essentials that were
donated to Qâewar by the Sao Paulo, Brazil group and the Americans,
JoAnne and Margret. Motherâs Day was a festive day!
Additional news is that Eulogia and Vilma Cc. are now taking a seamstress course
in the provincial capital Urcos, a short taxi ride from the pueblo
Andahuaylillas.
Be sure to look at other sections of Qâewarâs website. There is news in the Education section and maybe some photos you havenât seen yet!
Gracious thanks to all our friends around the world!
Carmen, Lucy and Julio