Page 47 - Salesianum - Winter 2019

Your commitment to serving the marginalized

Is there a particular experience that stays with
you more than others?
“I spent three months in Liberia, where I worked with a community of men who have sex with men. Following decades of conflict and the Ebola epidemic, Liberia has heightened struggles with health needs that lead people to die or be permanently incapacitated from conditions that would never result in this in the United States. When I was there, for example, there was no working X-ray machine in the capital city of Monrovia (population
1 million). I remember coming back to the U.S. and scheduling an appointment for a shoulder injury in a matter of days. Before I even saw the doctor that same
day, I was given a prescription for an X-ray, told to walk down the hall, and select one of the three rooms that all had functioning X-ray machines. Patients in Liberia also needed to be sent to another country (Ghana) to have any specialist assess their complex ailments. The difference in technology, healthcare provider training opportunities and access to medications between these resource-poor settings and countries like the U.S. is incredible, and a blatant example of injustice that unfortunately is passively perpetuated just because most of us don’t get to experience this inequality in a way that moves one to take action.
These healthcare needs and access barriers are even more heightened for vulnerable populations, including men who have sex with men, since homosexual relationships are illegal in Liberia.
I also saw great differences in access, health literacy
and opportunities for quality care in the rural areas of Colombia I have visited, and the population of homeless patients in Boston through volunteering. Despite being
in three different countries with three very distinct populations, a common similarity shared by each of these groups is being ostracized or ignored by society. Here again, Catholic theology comes in: All the miracles of healing Jesus performed not only cured a physical ailment, but allowed the person to be reaccepted by society because they were no longer considered “cursed” or “unclean.” That, for me, is an example of how theology can inform medicine and public health, that our focus should not only be on extending life or improving health outcomes, but using that great work as a way to incorporate those who have been forgotten back into society and relationships.”
If you could speak with our student body today, what would you say?
“Say ‘yes,’ and accept most especially opportunities that seem scary or not relevant. I believe that the best way to advance in life and grow into a better person is through experiences that challenge your conceptions of life and push you out of your comfort zone. Set goals to say yes to one new thing once every week, and at the end of the week, write down the thing you said yes to. The people I see grow and develop the most, whether in a new skill or integral parts of who they are, are those who take risks and dive into uncertainty as if it is an adventure.”
What’s your personal mantra?
“‘Uncomfortability breeds growth.’ Purposefully placing oneself in challenging situations ultimately leads to learning opportunities, personal growth and formation towards excellence in all dimensions, whether it be academically, physically, socially, mentally or spiritually.”
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