The main reason James and Irene Andrew moved to lakeside 20 years ago was that James accepted the job as pastor of Lakeside Little Church in Riberas del Pilar.
Two years later, when they bid farewell to return to their hometown of Portland, Oregon – to live near their first grandchild – little did they imagine they would return here after two decades, this time as “medical refugees.”
After experiencing a routine gall bladder removal five years ago, Irene suffered a series of strokes, which caused her to undergo multiple medical tests for a questionable diagnosis, and require round-the-clock care.
As the days turned into weeks, she finally received the diagnosis of Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome, a rare condition that left her with multiple stroke-like injuries and devastating long-term damage.
Says Andrew, “Irene needed a lot of attention but our health insurance only covered half-day care. That meant that we had a paid caregiver half the day, and I was her caregiver the other half. This went on for five years.”
Finally hitting a wall of burnout, Andrew clearly saw that Irene needed full time care. Paying for that kind of care in the United States, however, was simply out of the question.
Their only solution was to return to Mexico.
“Twenty years ago, we lived in a neighborhood in San Juan Cosala, where I built our house,” says Andrew. “Along with a mix of locals, expats and weekenders from Guadalajara, the neighborhood had a network of workers who were part of large, extended families. Therefore, everyone knew one another.”
With the determination to hire full-time caregivers, Andrew set out to locate the same locals they knew 20 years ago.
He happened to stumble upon one on Facebook – a young woman named Yadi who had been Irene’s goddaughter.
“All grown up now, Yadi looked much older in her Facebook photo,” says Andrew, “but 20 years later I recognized her nonetheless.”
He sent Yadi a message about Irene’s situation, asking if she could help him find helpers. Her reply was the best Andrew could have received. Yadi, along with and her mother, Rayo, offered to be Irene’s full-time helpers.
“Last year I purchased a home on the same street where we lived in 2008 and Yadi moved in,” says Andrew. “She takes care of Irene in the evenings and Rayo helps in the daytime, showering her with affectionate care, referring to Irene as ‘hermosa’ and ‘princess.’”
He adds: “You can’t imagine how delighted I am to be working with these loving, attentive women.”
Full-time care in San Juan Cosala is costing Andrew $US15 per day. The going rate in the U.S. for private care is $15 to $20 per hour, including the patient’s sleep time.
“My priority is all about Irene’s care,” he says, “which ties directly into finding and managing the help for her, often a bigger issue than one thinks. I can’t just turn everything over to the caregivers – I have to buy supplies and see to her medical care.”
Andrew mentions how impressed he has been with lakeside’s high quality of caregiving and how warm helpers are toward disabled people.
“If I’m struggling to navigate Irene’s wheelchair on the cobblestone streets, locals will often step in and help out, without a moment’s hesitation.”
At 63, Irene’s condition is unpredictable, mostly because so few people have experienced her medical issue. If her condition worsens, such as her memory, Andrew realizes he may need to move her into a care facility.
“Even though I’m of retirement’ age at 65, I need to keep working so that I can provide for Irene’s economic needs.”
Last year, on Mother’s Day, Andrew returned to his ministry work at The Little Chapel, this time to step in as a temporary pastor after the last pastor left. Andrew’s last day was January 27.
He says, “I didn’t really calculate my emotional resources for caring for Irene when offering to serve the church in this capacity. For this reason, I needed to step down.”
Having let go of his ministry position, Andrew is concentrating on his design work. He also wants to put his attention on creative writing and creating a podcast, among other projects.
Says Andrew, “I’m a designer on many levels – both internationally and locally – and my work has taken me to places such as Indonesia, Africa and throughout Latin America. Six years ago, I designed a 52-acre AIDS orphanage in Kenya, and am getting ready to design an orphanage in Guatemala.”
He continues: “From all of my travels, I find that the nature of the people at lakeside is better than anywhere I’ve seen. Without a doubt, returning to San Juan Cosala has been the right move for us on so many levels.”