October 17, 2008, cont. from front page, Book fair promotes reading, By Jesús Ibarra, Humanitarian healing: Kids First makes fourth visit, By Jesús Ibarra, Parque Insurgentes set for renovation, Last day to send ballots by embassy mail, By Gretchen Sullivan

Kenia Hernández, a business owner and neighbor representative who lives on Calzada de la Estación, opposes the construction because she believes it will adversely affect her and her neighbors.

She claims that a commercial parking lot is planned on the land currently occupied by the slaughterhouse and this will affect her clients and suppliers.

Initially, local authorities proposed that residents pay 500 pesos per square meter of their property to help subsidize construction, but after vocal protests an alternate agreement was signed.

Under the new agreement, economic support from residents will be voluntary and free on-street parking will continue to be permitted.

Hernández and other neighbors remain dissatisfied with agreement. “Why do they want to repave, when we don’t even have an adequate underground drainage system and the street floods when it rains?” she asked.

Neighbors are also complaining about the traffic circle because portions of property from all four corners of the intersection must be ceded for the construction.

Don Miguel Sánchez, owner of a vulcanizadora (tire repair shop), said he has not received any formal proposal from the local authorities about compensation for his land. “I have had this business for 40 years,” said Don Miguel. “I worked very hard in the US as an illegal and I had a lot of problems. I do not understand why they need my land to build this glorieta. However, if they offer me land in a good place, according to my needs, I would accept.”

Public Works reply

According to Barrera, the road work project for this main road is very expensive. “At first, the department thought that due to the high cost of the project we could ask for the neighbors’ financial support, but they disagreed,” he said.

Barrera added that on-street parking will remain. Although the current slaughterhouse will be soon be relocated on the road to Los Rodríguez, no parking lot will be constructed on the land. “There are no plans for that land yet,” he said. “Some of the neighbors are badly informed. Although we have had several meetings with them to explain the project, some have not come or they left before we could explain the complete project. Of course we will change the sewage system and install new storm drains. We are aware that the current drainage system is so narrow that it can be obstructed with the first rain. All the underground pipes will be replaced. I invite the residents to come see the complete project.”

Regarding the glorieta, Barrera said that he knows that this is not the best solution to the traffic problems at that crossroad. “The best would be a paso a desnivel (overpass), but the cost would be at least 150 million pesos.

Our annual budget is 300 million; we cannot spend half the budget on one project,” he said. The whole Calzada de la Estación project will cost around 70 million pesos and is up for bid among construction companies across the country. He added that the glorieta will decrease the traffic jam in that area. “The volume of traffic at the Salida a Celaya, where the glorieta with the statue of Pípila is, is greater than at the Calzada de la Estación crossroad, and there is no traffic jam in that area.” He said that the glorieta would be bigger than the Pípila traffic circle and that is why it would affect businesses at all four corners of the intersection. “Aurrerá, the PEMEX gas station and Hotel Arcada have already agreed to cede us the small portions of their land that would be needed. The
problem is with the tire shop; because it is a small lot, it would be completely affected. We are looking for an appropriate lot for Don Miguel Sánchez so that he can continue with his business in a satisfactory way. We do not want to affect anybody. I am sure we will reach an agreement with him,” said Barrera.

The local government, the Biblioteca Pública and the cultural foundation Un Chorro de Literatura, A.C. sponsor the book fair FELISMA 2008 from October 17 to 26 in the Jardín from 10am to 9pm.

The fair was announced October 19 in a press conference by Jesús Ledesma, head of the Education Office of the Education and Culture Department, María de la Paz Espino del Castillo, president of the Spanish Books Committee of the Biblioteca, Víctor Sahuatoba, member of Un Chorro de Literatura, and Raúl Bravo, head of the program Leer Provoca as a representative of the state government. Espino del Castillo said the main objective of the fair —besides being part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Biblioteca in its current building —is to bring the community closer to books and promote literature.

Besides books for sale there will be several cultural events such as conferences, lectures, book presentations and plays, as well as workshops and musical events. The Biblioteca sponsored a writing contest for young people to stimulate their writing skills. Winners of the contest, which was divided into the genres of narrative, essay and poem, will receive awards and their work will be published through Un Chorro de Literatura.

One of the main events will be a tribute to Carlos Fuentes, who turned 80 this year and also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the publishing of his novel La region más transparente (Where the Air is Clear). A lecture, writing workshops and a master class by author Gonzalo Celorio will be part of this celebration.

A team of 24 US medical professionals, in San Miguel from October 3 to 11, performed 80 free surgeries on children with orthopedic problems.

This is the fourth time a surgical team from the international organization Kids First has offered this service here.

Kids First was supported by the local government through the Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations Department (Dirección de Turismo, Fomento Económico y Relaciones Internacionales) and DIF (Family Integration Department), by the General Hospital Felipe G. Dobarganes, Centro de Crecimiento, and volunteers from the community headed by Doctor Roberto Maxwell and Kathy Leutzinger.

Decades of dedication

Dr. Billy Andrews, an orthopedic surgeon, started helping children with orthopedic problems 18 years ago, two years after the original Kids First group started.

In 1999, he and his friend and colleague Dr. Gregory Mencio started their own Kids First group. “We have been doing this in Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Colombia,” said Dr. Andrews. “We were in Colombia for many years, but the country became unsafe so we decided to look for a place similar to Colombia in terms of a really good volunteer group. Since our team is only 23 people, we need local volunteer support.”

Dr. Andrews had come to San Miguel as a tourist and while here he heard about Centro de Crecimiento. He met Doctor Roberto Maxwell, who offered support for the medical team to come to San Miguel and help poor children with orthopedic and congenital aberrations. “I probably came about 10 times before our first surgery trip. The more time I spent here, the more I thought this could be a place like Colombia, with similar wonderful volunteers and great hospitals. An added benefit is that the medical equipment can be transported by land to San Miguel from Nashville, Tennessee, which saves a lot of money. In San Miguel everything has been going as we hoped; the people are just wonderful.”

Working together to change lives

On October 5, the doctors examined about 150 children under 18 who were candidates for surgery. “We determine which are in immediate need of surgery,” said Dr. Andrews.

“We divide them into three categories: they really need an operation; their case is not so urgent and surgery can be postponed to our next trip; or they really don’t need surgery. “We perform about 80 surgeries. If we do not have enough time to perform all the surgeries, those kids will be first the next year. We are planning to come in June.”

Most of the potential patients are referred by the local DIF (Family Integration Department). “They are children we have identified as having problems that might be helped with surgery and that have been under treatment with us,” said Gabriela Bibriesca, head of the local DIF. “We also invite other DIFs in the state to send their children.”

The CRIT (Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón) in Irapuato also sends some candidates. “Four years ago, we had the fortune to come and speak in an interview with Pepe Báez at Channel 3,” said Ricardo Guzmán, head of CRIT in Irapuato.

“Dr. Maxwell watched us and invited us to participate in Kids First. This year, we sent 32 candidate kids, of which 29 were accepted.”

Dr. Gregory Mencio said that the surgical team from Kids First treats many of the typical orthopedic conditions such as foot deformities, dislocated hips, muscular conditions such as cerebral palsy or spinal bifida and problems resulting from incorrectly healed fractures.

After patients were selected, the surgeries began on October 6 at 7am in three operating rooms at the General Hospital Felipe G. Dobarganes.

“Kids First doctors use the operating rooms, but all the medical equipment is theirs,” explained Doctor Maxwell. The office in charge of importing the equipment and medicine needed for the surgeries and treatments is the Coordination Office of International Relations, part of the Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations Department. Fernanda Esparza, who heads the office, said that every year she arranges the importation of equipment and medicine through the Federal Hacienda Department (Secretaría de Hacienda), which sends the doctors’ licenses and descriptions of the medicines and equipment to the Federal Health Department (Secretaría de Salud) to obtain the permits. “The responsible doctor in Mexico is Dr. Maxwell,” said Esparza, who also arranges the transport from Nashville.

From Monday through Friday, the doctors performed an average of 16 surgeries per day. Besides assisting the doctors during the surgeries, the nurses take care of the patients in the recovery room.

Norman Stone–better known as Ned–is in charge of the surgery agenda. “It is a great experience to help kids,” he said. “It is very gratifying.” Joseph Tobias, anesthesiologist, said, “It’s wonderful to be doing this. Everybody has been helped in the past; their shoes fit better, they can walk now.”

To facilitate understanding between the American doctors and Mexican parents, volunteer bilingual translators help relay information about the treatments. Marcelo Ramírez, a Mexican lawyer, said, “it is wonderful to see these people concerned about improving the quality of life of Mexican children, and as Mexicans we must be devoted to this wonderful cause.”

Another successful operation

Uriel Benjamín Carranza, a 15-year-old boy from San Felipe Torres Mochas, was operated on for a foot problem. “He had flat feet since he was born,” said his mother. “But he had never complained about pain until about a year ago.

Since then it has been very hard for him to walk. I learned about Kids First in a local newspaper in San Felipe. I came on Sunday, but I thought the doctors would only examine him. I was surprised to learn he would be operated on. I could have never afforded a surgery like this.”

“Uriel had a problem called ‘spastic flat foot,’” explained Dr. Eugenio de Pavía, from CRIT, who also participated in the surgeries with the Kids First doctors. “As he grew, his feet became flatter and the pain increased. The surgery consists of returning the feet to their original form, cutting the bone to form the arch and decrease pain. The tendons are eased to diminish tension and decrease pain. He will have to use a cast for about eight weeks, and after that the pain will have disappeared and he will walk again.”

Recognizing the Kids First team

The local government, represented by Mayor Jesús Correa and City Secretary Cristóbal Finkelstein, thanked the Kids First medical team with a special dinner and awards.

Kathy Leutzinger, in charge of coordinating the volunteers for housing, meals for the doctors and translation, was also recognized, and she thanked all the people who in one way or another helped her and the doctors in this noble cause.

Nurses

Allison Acrey
Thea Crist
Valerie Davis
Sylvia Fawcett
Dana Holloway
Leslie Homra
Melissa James
Buffy Lupear
Kathleen Michelsen
Janie Patterson
Lynn Pope (awarded a Bronze Medal for service in Irak)
Judy Reardon
Janine Thomas
Regina Wisecarver
Kim Young

Medical assistants

Billy Rolfe
Marissa Mencio

The local government began a new stage of the program “Rescue of Public Spaces,” investing more than 1,400,000 pesos in Parque Insurgentes in Fraccionamiento Insurgentes.

Mayor Jesús Correa asked the local residents to keep the park in good condition, promising he would send the Ecology Department to improve the green areas after sidewalks and paths are built and electricity installed.

This year, the federal and local government invested more than four million pesos in this program in parks located in Santa Cecilia, Clouthier and Insurgentes.

Last day to send ballots by embassy mail
By Gretchen Sullivan

US Voter Information
Democrats Abroad
Wed, Oct 22, 1–3pm
Biblioteca Pública

Some counties may not count absentee ballots that do not come from outside the US. If your local mail service sends mail from Texas, and you are not certain if your ballot will be counted, take the ballot to the US Consular Office, October 13–17. A special table will be there to collect the ballots and to provide a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) to voters who have not received ballots. Collected ballots are sent to the Embassy in Mexico City for mailing and will be stamped as coming from Mexico.

Democrats Abroad sponsors a nonpartisan table through October 22, to facilitate late registration, help with ballots and provide a FWAB for people who have not received ballots by October 15.

To use a FWAB, US citizens and dual citizens must be registered to vote in their home states. Citizens can still register to vote at the Biblioteca on Wednesdays, and if the ballot is not received in time to return it before November 4, the FWAB still can be sent on time.

Gretchen Sullivan is chairperson of Democrats Abroad in San Miguel.