Brazil from Amy's Perspective

Our time in Brazil is quickly coming to an end. It is hard to believe it has been 11 days today since I landed in São Paulo. Too much has happened to recount everything. I would have to spend the last few days entirely blogging in order to give a fair shake to all of the places we have seen and the people we have met. I will focus on the events that are most vibrant in my memory to hopefully allow me to do the most justice to an experience that feels difficult to describe.

One of our partner NGO's, Amigas das Mama's, holds a choral and craft group that is open not only to women with breast cancer, but to women from the community as well. The women were so welcoming and proud to talk with us about the organization that they are involved with. All activities are on a volunteer basis but many of the women I spoke with talked about AAMA as their second family, their home away from home. It was clear from the way they interacted that these women were a family, and now I was a part of it as well. The crafts and singing were an introduction for the women to come together and share. They were the foundation of support for each other as they went through treatment and processed emotionally and physically the changes within their bodies and their relationships with other people.

As women stood before us to sing songs that helped them heal, I could only think how critical these services are as part of our health care system. The cancer treatment was doing it's part to save these women's lives, but so wasn't this organization, this group, these women. To witness the power of this family these women created made me realize that so many times our medical system is short sighted. How well would these women cope with the radiation if they couldn't come weekly to share laughter and songs? How would women who were deserted by husbands or families when they fell ill find strength, or trade tips for dealing with the side effects of treatment?

Finding a way for people to create new families and build a foundation of support for themselves is critical when approaching health care. There is more to healing than medicine. I encourage anyone reading to take a moment to reflect on how all of us are impacted by the support of our families or friends, and where you would be without it. I am grateful to AAMA and these women for welcoming me into their family and bringing me into their lives. You have given me a wonderful gift.