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12 Days: ‘I know God has granted me life'
Family keeps faith in mother's battle
The United Way is accepting donations — including, but not limited to, clothing, food, furniture, toys and money — for the families of this series. To donate, call (956) 279-9050, (956) 279-9051 or (956) 279-9052 or mail donations to P.O. Box 187, McAllen, TX, 78505. The United Way of South Texas is located at 1200 E. Hackberry, Suite F in McAllen.
You can also make an online donation on the United Way of South Texas website at www.unitedwayofsotx.org. The Monitor is not accepting donations.
Julio Zapo
Father; 46 years old; shoes, 11; shirt, medium; pants, 34x32
Ruth Mendoza
Mother, 34 years old; shoes, 10; shirt, medium; pants, 14
Jeremias Zapo
Son, 5 years old; shoes, 12; shirt, 7; pants, 7
Yuliana Zapo
Daughter, 4 years old; shoes, 10; shirt, 5; pants, 5
Carlos Daniel Zapo
Son, 12 years old; shoes, 8; shirt, medium; pants, 16
PHARR — A king-size bed greets guests when they open the door to Ruth Mendoza’s small home. The neatly made bed takes up most of the space in her one-room apartment. It’s where the 34-year-old woman, her husband and their two young children live most of their lives. There’s no table in the tight Las Milpas home. Even if the family could afford one, there’s no room for it. So the two children — ages 3 and 5 — eat, do their homework and then sleep in the bed at night, alongside their parents. Ruth thought they had left some of their problems behind when they moved from her brother-in-law’s crowded home into their own living space in April. But unforeseen troubles would emerge. Ruth, originally from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, suffers from aplastic anemia, a rare but serious blood disorder in which the body’s bone marrow doesn’t make enough new blood cells. The disease, which causes shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea and dizziness, can cause death if left untreated. Ruth can’t afford the prescriptions that cost upwards of $1,000, so she has gone without the medicine.
Blood transfusions are a temporary fix, but what she really needs is a bone marrow transplant, her doctors told her.
Her husband, Julio Zapo, struggles to find construction work. Instead, the 46-year-old does any odd job he can find, including cutting lawns.
"We’re in God’s hands," a smiling Ruth said in Spanish, "because I don’t have any medication."
Ruth was being helped through an indigent healthcare program offered by Hidalgo County Health and Human Services. The program provided her a six-month health insurance plan that covered her medical expenses, she said.
However, when the family moved about 30 feet from their brother in law’s house to the back of the adjacent home where they now reside, the county denied her assistance because she failed to notify them of the change in address, she said.
Ruth was told she could apply again after December.
"We didn’t know," Ruth said about reporting the change.
To make matters worse, her last blood transfusion in August, which she thought would be paid by the county’s insurance, was denied claim. The insurance doesn’t cover the procedure at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, where her doctors at Texas Oncology sent her, she said. She received a letter in October with the notice and a bill for $3,000. Hidalgo County Health and Human Services representatives could not be reached for comment.
Ruth hasn’t been to the doctor since her last transfusion in August, and the throbbing in her ears lets her know she’s long overdue for another procedure.
She says her heart is working hard as her body is slowly running out of blood.
FAITH AND OPTIMISM No matter how hard one tries to make Ruth break down about her situation, she doesn’t. She simply smiles and instead thanks God for what she calls the "extra" time she’s been given. Her disease may weaken her body, but it does not break her spirit. "Doctors have told me several times ‘take her because she’s going to die,’" Zapo said in Spanish about his wife. "And I think it’s only through God’s will that she’s still here." Because her body struggles to produce all three types of blood cells — red, white and platelets — her immune system is low and any small infection could kill her, her doctors have said. She’s been hospitalized several times because of it. During each hospitalization, she’s been told her body won’t survive through the next. Ruth believes only a miracle keeps her alive and she doesn’t take her time for granted, she said. When she has enough strength, she makes food and sells it to her neighbors. "I can’t walk very far," she said, "and we don’t have a car." When she would go to the doctor, Ruth depended on rides from her landlord, who she said has helped them in many ways. At times, when her landlord couldn’t pick her up, she had to ask for rides from complete strangers, she said. "We need something to move in," she said. The family walks about a half mile to Junior’s Supermarket to buy groceries. It’s a weekly sacrifice the ailing woman must make. "I have to have faith," she said. "I’m a believer and I know God has granted me life." She tries not to think about the possibility that she may not be with her family for long if she doesn’t get the transplant she so desperately needs. Doctors have said the procedure would cost upwards of $150,000. "I ask God to help me because my children are small," Ruth said. Ruth has a 12-year-old son, who is living in Mexico with a relative. She wants to bring him to the U.S. but knows they can’t afford it. Ruth’s two younger children, Jeremias and Yuliana, are happy, she said. They’re too young to understand their mother’s condition. "I try to always be happy, and not to be sad, especially around them," she said. "You’ll always see me smiling because God knows my heart and he sees my condition." CHRISTMAS Three-year-old Yuliana knows exactly what she wants for Christmas. "Una tele," the shy girl says in Spanish and giggles. Yuliana and her 5-year-old brother yearn to watch Dora the Explorer and Batman on TV, they quickly explain — the family doesn’t have one in their home. Their father looks up from his seat on a bucket where he crouches to eat on a makeshift table and says, with slight embarrassment, "They just ask for things. Like all children." The mother calls their name and gives them a stern look, which makes them giggle a bit. When pressed about their needs, Julio admits a job would be of much help. He says he can do carpentry and will also cut yards. A vehicle for the family would be a dream come true. It would help Zapo hunt for jobs and take Ruth to her doctor’s appointments. "Whatever people want to help us with, we’ll be glad to take," Ruth said. "We’re grateful for the help God has sent our way." Naxiely Lopez covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
