When the Body Grows Tired, but the Heart Keeps Fighting
65 year old Francisco has had a life that has been shaped by hard work and a deep love for his land. For years, he lived in a small river village named Imiria, growing and selling bijao leaves to support his family. But one day his life was turned upside down by an accident that his wife had, requiring her to be closer to medical care. Not having this available in his river village, Francisco and his wife packed up and moved to the city.
Living in the city wasn’t easy. Everything costs more there, food doesn’t grow at your doorstep, and Francisco — who had spent his whole life as a provider — found himself depending on his adult son, who works all day while Francisco and his wife stay home alone.
As time passed, his wife’s injuries gradually got better. But then Francisco himself began experiencing symptoms he couldn’t ignore. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t breathe well. The nights grew long and heavy.
Doctors confirmed what he had already been feeling: congestive heart failure, a heart arrhythmia, and fluid backed up in his legs due to the congestive heart failure. In fact, his legs were covered in wounds that he treated himself with the only thing he had available to him–bandages and herbs.
That is how AMOR Projects found him — legs wrapped in plants, surrounded by family, quietly carrying a weight too heavy for one person to bear.
