May is a month for mothers across the Americas. In Mexico, Mother’s Day is always May 10, whereas in the United States, children shower their mothers with gifts on the second Sunday in May. Here in the Dominican Republic we celebrate Mother’s Day on the last Sunday in May, which this year fell on May 25.
The Clínica de Familia is a comprehensive community health services organization in La Romana, which runs one of the largest HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic, in addition to primary care services, an adolescent reproductive health clinic, and a specialized clinic for sex workers, among other programs.
The Clínica de Familia is changing lives. Here we share with you the story of Luisa.
We honor our mothers because they work hard to care for us, to nurture us, and to provide for us. Few Dominicans exemplify this motherly commitment like Luisa. Luisa had a difficult childhood, losing her own mother when she was only 10 years old. Without a mother, Luisa soon found herself living on the streets and ultimately dropping out school in the 6th grade. Struggling to survive, she found support in a partner. Only later did she learn that she had contracted HIV, and it was not long thereafter that her husband passed away.
Luisa, however, was not ready to give up. After learning about her HIV-positive status, she enrolled in services at Clínica de Familia La Romana. When she became pregnant in 2009, she became part of the Clinic’s Vertical Transmission Program, which helps mothers with HIV prevent HIV transmission to their children. With support from Clinic staff, she followed all of the program’s protocols – she took medications during pregnancy, had a planned cesarean section at 38 weeks of pregnancy, provided her new son with prophylaxis treatment following birth and fed him formula for the first six months of his life.
Just like all of the 330 pregnant women with HIV who have followed the Clinic’s protocols since 2009, her son is healthy, without HIV. Moreover, Luisa had a second baby eight months ago and through support from the Vertical Transmission Program he was also born HIV negative.
As a devoted mother, Luisa wanted to provide more for her children, but knew she needed to finish her education. In conversations with a Clinic health promoter, Luisa confided that she wanted to return to school but needed childcare to make her dream come true. The Clinic health promoter arranged to have her children receive childcare at La Romana’s Hogar del Niño, while Luisa secured a day time job. At the same time, Luisa enrolled in night school. For the first few weeks until Luisa could find an evening babysitter, the Clínica de Familia health promoter even cared for Luisa’s children when Luisa was at class.
Luisa and the health promoter’s hard work paid off. Luisa is now about to graduate from high school and she hopes to continue studying for a professional degree. Throughout Luisa´s long journey, from motherless child to educated mother, she has never forgotten the important impact of a mother on the health and well-being of her children, which made this year´s Mothers´ Day celebration particularly meaningful.
With Clínica de Familia´s support, Luisa continues to look ahead to see what more she can do to improve her life and even more importantly, the lives of her sons.
The Clínica de Familia is changing lives.
Clínica de Familia La Romana
Find out more about the Clínica de Familia La Romana at:
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