After my surgery one day, mom and I took a walk outside St. Vincent Medical Center down Alvarado Street. Times were hard. Spaniard and Mexican folks paved the sidewalk selling such things as wholesale fruits and daily necessities. Mom stopped at one of the makeshift stalls and picked a Darly toothpaste before asking how much it costs. When mom said she will buy two, the girl leaped with glee. Watching her bounce, I marveled how simple these people are.
They belong to a class of people who most middle class Americans would rather overlook. It is illegal to sell things on the streets and not pay tax. But the working poor have little choice. If we have to, blame the social construct.
Many of the patients I met at House Clinic and St. Vincent Medical Center were Spaniards and Mexicans. It is reasonable to assume that they were being treated on charity basis and without insurance. If you are a registered nurse and multi-lingual, if you can speak Asian languages and Spanish, the hospital will want to keep you employed. Last December, I met a Pilipino nurse named Grace who happened to visit St. Vincents when her partner John needed cancer treatment. Because she could speak English and Tagalog, they convinced her to stay. We became friends. John and Grace were similarly lodged at Seton Hall. Grace visited me in the hospital and spoke with my doctors the way my own mother would.
Most recently, a Mexican girl named Ana Lilia Martinez found my blog while searching for Steve Otto. Ana has NF2 and received the ABI at Kaiser Permanente many years ago. Dr. Brackmann of HEI went over to Kaiser and did her implantation there. After that, Ana went to HEI for her ABI activation and tune up with Steve.
Then she returned to Mexico. Her immigration status made it impossible to visit HEI anymore. Years passed before Ana found my blog. When she could finally get in touch with Steve again, Ana was so happy!
I told Steve that he probably has the coolest job at HEI ever. Nobody ever comes up randomly and asks me for the surgeons’ contacts unless they are in serious need for medical advice. But everyone is looking for Steve Otto!
