Melanie Gomes, a brave young woman who’s a valuable volunteer for the Dany Foundation, has made several visits in July to the pension of ‘Madeira’ to discuss the problems of the residents. In this report below you can read what she found out.
Good evening Grace, as discussed i have taken pictures of A.’s room. These are of the walls, ceiling and the windows. As you can see there’s holes everywhere where cockroaches are hiding. The windows don’t have any curtains , newspapers are being used instead. Today A. told me that she’s been filling buckets with water lately in order to trap and drown the mice and rats which have been a plague in the other pensions as well. This is how she kills them..
The man who is sharing a room with R. today opened up to me about his money problems and how they get such little support. It’s heartbreaking to hear how much they are affected by all their circumstances. You can tell there’s a lot of grief with him for instance, i think that’s why he developed a drinking problem. It’s a shame because he is only in his fifties and has a wonderful family. He completely lights up when he’s showing pictures of his family.
R. is going to have his treatment soon. He will be operated. He looks tired but he doesn’t tell much. I went to see him today right away. I can’t help it but be touched profoundly by these people. If possible i had taken them into my own house but unfortunately it’s not that easy. Today we were talking about the beach for example. The room mate of R. has never been to the beach even though he has been in Portugal for six years already because of his kidney treatment! Wouldn’t it be nice if these people could have a care free day at the beach just to take their mind of their problems and to be away from their depressing surroundings? I want to give R. a day of fun before he weakens because of the operation or should I just take him out for a walk? R. will be a couple of days in the pension and a couple of days in the hospital. He’s being very nochalant about it all, only he doesn’t seem to realize what’s ahead of him…
He spoke with his mother when i was with him and it broke my heart. I had asked him when he spoke to his family for the last time and it had been more than a week ago. So I let him use my telephone to contact them. Really R. is just a little boy who needs to have his mother at his side but at the same time he’s afraid to ask for any help. Trying to keep up a brave front. His room mate also told me he’s too shy to ask for any help with the other residents and doesn’t talk much. This has been a summary of the time i spent with them.
Warm regards
Mel
In the month of June 2014 three wonderful caring women – Bia Silva, Dulce Araujo and Ducha Rodriguez – paid a visit to the Madeira pension as well as the 25 Abril pension in Lisbon. They came all the way from Italy and also from Rotterdam/Holland to lift up the spirits of the pension residents For those in dire need some money was given and also a festive lunch was organised by Ducha Rodriguez from Rotterdam. Truely amazing! A heartfelt thank you goes out to these ladies on behalf of the Dany Foundation and most of all on behalf of the Pension residents!
A message from Bia Silva from Rome in which she describes the shocking situation she witnessed in Lisbon and also how much she admires the pension residents who remain optimistic despite all their miserable circumstances. She encourages every one to support the pension residents and also to visit them whenever possible!
Hoje levantei me com o meu pensamento nesta jovem mãe que faleceu há dias em Lisboa após uma longa doença. Como é que se morre assim tão jovem? Que sofrimento saber q vamos morrer e deixar os nossos filhos pequenos? Estas eram as angústias da Arlete.
Na semana passada estive em Lisboa e fui visitar os doentes nas pensões Madeira e 25 de Abril. Meu Deus quanto sofrimento, quanta miséria. A Edite que também deixou os seus filhos em Cabo Verde, está muito doente mas conserva uma alegria contagiante. Disse me D. Bia vou tirar o lenço e tiramos juntas uma foto e acrescentou, hoje me sinto bonita.
Convido a todos quando passarem por Lisboa a levarem uma palavra de conforto aos nossos doentes. Um beijo especial à Edite, Armindo e Ramiro. Não vos posso esquecer.
Photo taken in a room of a young patient who had only just arrived, he’s in between Bia and Dulce. There’s hardly any space for his own bed and the bed of his room mate to fit in.
Bia together with a woman who has already had several radiation treatments and remains very optimistic.
Message from Ducha Rodriguez from Rotterdam who provided the pension residents with a care free luch for every one. She prays for a speedy recovery of the sick pension residents so that they may soon return to their motherland: Cabo Verde!
Bem sucedido o fim de semana em Lisboa: lanche oferecido aos Cabo-verdianos doentes de cancro evacuados para tratamento em Portugal. Que o Senhor derrame uma chuva de cura sobre essas pessoas para que elas possam regressar, com saúde, à sua terra natal.
Photo’s made during the lunch given by Ducha
Grace Beatriz visited the pensions of Lisbon and its Cape Verdean residents yet again in June 2014. Based on her report of the shocking situation she witnessed there the newspaper “Jornal de São Nicolau” published the article you can find below. One of the stories being told is about a young man from Santo Antão who had just arrived in Portugal for a tumor treatment. Without any assistance and with only € 100 in his pocket (borrowed by his mother from neighbours back home) he is forced to survive the coming three months in a tiny room of 3 by 3 meters shared with a patient who because of all the misery became an alcoholic. All his expenses (food, clothing, transport fees to the hospitable) are to be paid by himself as the meagre allowance (€ 89 p/m) from the Cape Verdean Embassy only gets paid after a delay of three months after arrival in Portugal.
