Twelve years ago, Blanca packed her entire business into a single sack each night, which contained unsold clothing after a long day selling on the streets near Panajachel. Despite working hard, she was heavily in debt with little room to think about anything beyond getting through the week. On top of that, as a mother, Blanca worked hard to cover her children’s needs—food, school, the daily costs of raising a family—at the expense of her own. With so little to spare, her health was not something she could afford to think about.
It all changed when Blanca joined Friendship Bridge. As a benefit of being a client, she started receiving preventive health education and screenings through our Health for Life program. For the first time, she was given the tools to understand nutrition, prevention of diseases like diabetes and cervical cancer, and how to recognize warning signs in her own body.
In particular, she still remembers her first visit with Silvia, the nurse who has worked with her ever since. Blanca says Silvia’s warmth put her at ease from the start, teaching her how to do self-examinations at home and ensuring she felt comfortable with follow-up measures.
When follow-up care later turned up a lump in her breast, Blanca was worried—but she was not facing it alone. With treatment she received as part of the Health for Life program, her condition was successfully addressed. Today, Blanca manages high blood pressure with medication she now takes regularly, and Silvia has continued to check in on her to monitor for any warning signs.
With her health no longer holding her back, Blanca found room to grow in new ways. She ran in her town’s municipal election. She built her own home. The sack of unsold clothing became a storefront in Panajachel, offering traditional Guatemalan textiles and casual apparel to locals and visitors alike.
Health for Life gave Blanca something she had not had before: the support to actually follow through on her own care. Blanca is thankful for that support; without it, she says she would not have found the strength to continue treatment through the moments when her diagnoses, and her life circumstances, felt overwhelming.
With your help, more mothers like Blanca can access the preventive care and support they need—without having to choose between caring for themselves and caring for their families.
Will you give today to support the Health for Life program?
Once Blanca could focus on her health, she built her own home.
Through programs like Health for Life, women like Blanca receive preventive education, screenings, and a nurse who stays with them through every follow-up. With your gift, you can help more women get the care they need to protect their health and pursue their goals.
