Child of the Month
By Rich Petersen
Daniela Monserrat Cárdenas Pedroza
www.programaninos.org

     Daniela Montserrat (Monse) Cárdenas Pedroza is a bright and lively two year old with a medi-cal problem in common with many of our Niños Incapacitados children. About eight months ago, Monse began to suffer from convulsions and has begun to take medicine to control them. Fortunately, since beginning her medication, she has not suffered another convulsion.
     Her illness doesn’t stop this beautiful little girl from playing with her seven-year old big brother Oswaldo in a lively game of soccer. She also enjoys sweets and cookies and loves to play with her dolls. Monse inherited her beau-tiful light blue eyes from her grandmother. She lives in Chapala with her mother, Edith Carolina, a homemaker, and her father Juan Bautista, who works as a waiter at El Kiri, a restaurant at Piedra Barrenada near San Juan Cosala.
     Monse is one of 46 children currently enrolled in Niños Incapacitados, who require regular anti-convulsive medications to control their seizures. Prescrip-tions for some of these children are becoming increasingly expensive. Another young patient now requires medication costing nearly $2000 per month.
     Currently, representatives of charities involved with providing support for Lakeside children and families are looking at several factors that may affect children’s health locally. Two areas of study are the availability of pre-natal care and local environmental factors. One project, working with doctors at the local Centro de Salud Clinics and their medical professors at the University of Guadalajara, is to determine whether children with convulsion problems compare to national norms.
     If you would like to find out more about our organization, please feel free to attend our monthly meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. (September through June) at La Nueva Posada in Ajijic. Our group is looking for new members, volunteers and donors to help our Mexican families in need.
     Check our website at www.programaninos.org for more information on the organization and how to make a donation to our efforts, or contact our president, Robin Lawrason at 766-3070 or info@programaninos.org