I was assigned the health extensionist program when I arrived in Guatemala in February of 1992. Dr. Sergio Mack Rivas was my APCD and he was very supportive of the work I did in my little aldea in the hills of Baja Verapaz. He was commited to the work and his country. When I returned to Guatemala in 1998, I was able to sit down with him and talk to him about the political situation since the Peace Accords and the state of the country. We sat and talked as if he had all the time in the world, and no other work to do. But that was Sergio.
I recently got word that Sergio, who had prior heath issues, had a heart attack on March 1st, 2012. He was in a coma until he passed away on Thursday, March 8th 2012 around 12 PM. He was 55. It is just hard to believe... It makes me sad.
Sergio with us the day we were sworn in.
Kathy Arroyave was the nurse and Medical Director of Peace Corps Guatemala, a post she held for 30 years. She looked after us,was direct, and told us how it was, made sure we were safe, not too too homesick, and she chased away as many infectious elements as she could while we served. Beyond the host ofvaccines during training, she sought us out for gamma globulin (talk about a long ride back home after those bad boys...) and made sure we had access to the medications that helped keep us healthy.
She rounded in the hospital when I was in-patient, and there her kindness was overwhelming- to be sick so far from home... It was a gift to see her each day.I believed she loved us all, as her own. She kept us safe. A great nurse...
She never failed to be kind to me. A gift when you are so far from home. Kathy passed away on July 23, 2012 after battling cancer.
Both of these individuals were role models, mentors to me. I am thankful to have known them.
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