Rainbow Families Foundation Newsletter - March 2004

March 2004

I experienced another tragedy last week. A Dominican friend named Lala came from Santo Domingo and I was showing her around. Lala does not speak any English. We went to the beach where the river empties into the ocean just to take a look. We were dressed in jeans and didn't even have our bathing suits, nor does she own one. Upon our arrival a woman named Paulina came to the car and asked if we spoke English or Spanish. I said both. She asked for a ride to a hotel to find a girl's mother. The 14 year old girl named Jackie from Canada was there with a 37 year old man named Glyn from England. The man had just drowned and Jackie wanted Paulina to find her mother at their hotel. About that time a Dominican man decided to take her to the hotel. She previously asked him and he didn't seem to want to help. So Lala and I went to see if Jackie was ok. The park area was so quiet and eerie. Normally loud music is playing and everybody is active and noisy. Jackie was there in shock and had a difficult time talking, not to mention she didn't speak Spanish and the police were asking her questions. I was able to help translate and then the police wanted her to go on his motorcycle to her hotel to locate Glyn's passport. She didn't want to go away from her friend's body but I was able to convince her to go. Without the passport he said they could not move his body from the shore. They put a large blue tarp over him but the sun was hot. They called the coroner and he was on his way from Puerto Plata, about 45 minutes away. I told him I will bring Jackie to the hotel and we will follow him. Upon arrival at the hotel the manager would not allow us to enter Glyn's room without approval from the company that he booked the travel package tour. They were waiting for a return call from the rep. Meanwhile, I checked all the swimming pools and beach looking for her mother and sister as well as Wayne, Glyn's roommate. They were nowhere to be found. Later the tour rep gave us approval to enter the room and we located the passport. I wrote messages for the mother and Wayne to call the reception and put them under their door. We found Paulina at the hotel and we all returned to the beach, about a 10-minute drive away. The coroner and more police had arrived to investigate the accident. The coroner nor police did not speak English and did not understand the passport so I basically filled out the fatality report for him. He was able to identify the body with the passport and then the police were able to move the body into the shade onto a makeshift gurney from a wooden pallet. The tarp kept blowing off and it was awful. The body was swollen and turning blue already but it seemed about 4 hours had passed. Finally they put the body in the back of like an old station wagon and went to Central Medico Bournigal, a private clinic in Puerto Plata. All deceased foreigners are then taken to Santo Domingo for autopsy and Dominicans are taken to Santiago. The tour rep arrived and also made a fatality report. Jackie said it was her fault because Glyn didn't want to go into the water and had never swum in the ocean before. She was teasing him and coaxed him. A bottle was floating a ways out and she convinced him to go further out to retrieve the bottle with the prospect it might have a message inside. He swam out and lost control. She ran to the little park area a distance from the surf for help and several Dominicans tried to retrieve him with a rope. After about 15 minutes they pulled him ashore. Paulina was there kite surfing and was also helping. She said no one knew CPR but she tried and a lot of water came out but she couldn't revive him. We went back to the hotel and Jackie's mother and sister eventually came. They had taken the shuttle bus into town to go shopping. Wayne eventually showed up. He learned of the accident by overhearing people talking about what happened. Jackie's mother took her to the doctor and got a shot to relax her and allow her to sleep. Wayne was having a very difficult time. The police didn't want Wayne to call the man's family and were able to find a policeman to call who spoke English. Glyn's family was coming the next day from England. I asked Jackie's mother why she was with a man 23 years older. She explained that they arrived from Canada the same night as the two guys and they all became friends and were eating meals together and hanging out. Jackie had not seen her father for quite a while and the man was divorced but had a 14 year old daughter whom he hadn't seen for a while so they apparently clicked from this perspective. The guys each rented motorcycles and Jackie wanted to learn how to ride. If she learned ok then her mother was going to rent a motorcycle for them. They were supposed to be gone 10 minutes. Perhaps she already knew to ride a little bit since it is impossible to learn in 10 minutes. Instead they went to the beach. It's such a nightmare to go on vacation and end in a tragedy. Jackie and her family returned to Canada yesterday. I have learned that the Dominican Republic does not have a crematory and they do not believe in cremation. As you can imagine all the gravesites are above ground. Anny is doing fine. I will go this afternoon to see her and her grandmother. An ophthalmologist checked her eyes and said it is possible she will be able to see again. The corneas were not damaged. She needs the surgery on her eyes, specifically, before the cataract surgery can be done. The doctor agreed that it is best for Anny to nearly complete her plastic surgeries before her sight is corrected. She would be more traumatized if she knew how she looks. We have an appointment in Santo Domingo next week and will go the night before. I will learn about how much time Anny will require to be at Shriner's on an out patient basis. I am communicating with a man from Boston who is very eager to help. He is Dominican but, as I understand, moved to U.S. when he was 15. He works for a seafood exporter in quality assurance. Antonia is out of the hospital and recovering in the home of an aunt in Severe. She had a setback in the hospital with a collapsed lung but is now fine. I may have mentioned that Antonia lives deep into the countryside and up a mountain. After driving by truck one must walk 3/4 mile or so to get to her house up a steep hill and through a river. She is not able to walk up the hill right now. She is on four medications now and has a follow-up appointment with dominican Dra. Toriibio on the 22nd or 23rd at Corazones Unidos. Dra. Toribio said she has mitral stenosis. She performed an echo cardiogram and the test results were good. She said the mitral valve was nearly closed before the surgery and now it is better and that if Antonia's mother takes good care of her the valve will be good for 5-6 more years. Then she'll need a mechanical or an animal valve transplant. Since her breastbone was cut she must avoid any trauma, exercise or fast heart beat for a minimum of 1 year. She is to continue with all medications and vitamins. She is only 52 pounds for a tall 9 year old. She should have had her stitches taken out 8-10 days after the surgery but nobody told us so another doctor practitioner came to take out her stitches. Antonia was so brave and didn't even whimper. She needs a follow-up appointment in 2 months on a Friday (possibly 30 April) when Dra. Toribio only does echo cardiograms. Antonia is recuperating in the home of her second cousin in Severe since she is unable to climb the mountain to her home. She is such a beautiful and intelligent little girl. Franklin is continuing his chemotherapy in Santo Domingo and is responding well. Roseangela is continuing her physical therapy on a monthly basis now for her scoliosis. I can see a tremendous difference in such a short time. It's incredible. I have not heard from my young engineer friend to know how Luitka is doing. So, no news is good news. I know he changed jobs with another electric plant and is very busy. He also teaches at the university at night and is a Boy Scout leader. I took him to meet Anny and he goes to visit her ever so often with his guitar and they sing together. I have given him music CDs to burn a copy for Anny. Somebody loaned her a portable CD player. Jose Antonio's father sent a message that they wanted to see me and were to come this past Sunday. They did not show up so I don't know what happened. Dr. Reyes, Anny's plastic surgeon, told me that a group of plastic surgeons were coming from Albany, New York to do some simple surgeries. I want them to Jose Antonio. His esophagus surgery left him badly scarred at his neck and stomach. After I picked up Lala from the bus station last Wednesday the traffic police directed me to pull over. When I went for Lala I didn't take my wallet because I was just going quickly and come back. I had to park the car and we walked to get my wallet with my driver's license. The police said I ran the red light. We argued with them but got nowhere. He said he could charge me for not having a driver's license too but he didn't. He took my license and I had to go to the government bank to pay the fine. After I paid the fine and got a receipt I was able to get my license back. More than anything it was the hassle of it all. Good thing I took the time to get my license renewed while I was home. Last week on the way to Santo Domingo a couple was driving a Chevy Swing like I have. A Mitsubishi Montero went to pass a bus and hit the Chevy head on. The foreign couple and two children in the Chevy were killed. The Dominican guys in the Montero didn't suffer a scratch since the air bags protected them. I was shook up all the way to Santo Domingo. One Dominican lady I know, her 27- year old son is in the public hospital from a motorcycle accident. He is to have surgery to put a pin in his hip and his knee. The people here drive like they are the only ones on the road and there is no tomorrow. They absolutely have no fear. Two people from the large group of Canadians wanted to sponsor families and send money each month. They started their sponsorship the 1st of March. Both came through on their commitment and the families received their money directly from their sponsors. I know they are happy to receive a little help. Everything here is so expensive right now. The heavy rains in November and December caused the price of fruits and vegetables to go up. As I understand, the government offered seeds to the farmers and now the markets will not pay the farmers an adequate price for the produce to compensate for their losses due to the rains. The natural gas supply has now been replenished so there are no longer waiting lines at the natural gas station.