SANTA ANA : Diabetics Get Help by Word of Mouth

One patient received hearing aids, another laser surgery that she says saved her sight.

Through an unusual fund-raising program called Tamales for a Healthier Community, medical treatment is being provided to diabetes sufferers who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

“We’ve sold more than 5,000 tamales, and now we’re using the money so people don’t have to go blind or deaf or lose their feet,” said Dr. America Bracho, chief executive officer of Latino Health Access in Santa Ana and creator of the 6-month-old program.

As information about the program has spread by word-of-mouth, dozens of low-income people with diabetes have begun gathering weekly at sites across Orange County to learn about their disease and how to control it.

“These people cannot afford to pay for the treatments that can cost thousands of dollars,” Bracho said.

“But with the tamale sales, they can do it.”

The tamales, most of which are prepared at El Mural Restaurant in Anaheim, are sold in clinics and offices on certain days of the week, and at Mexican folklore festivals and shows.

They have a special appeal for the health-conscious. Whereas regular Mexican-style tamales have about 1,500 calories each because of the lard and oil used to prepare them, Bracho said, the diabetics’ version--vegetarian and chicken tamales--contain fewer than 400 calories apiece.

Bracho said her organization acts as a liaison between patients and doctors in the Latino community, where the need is especially great because many low-income residents cannot afford any medical treatment. Some doctors, including eye specialists and podiatrists, have agreed to offer their services at a 50% discount to program participants, she said.

Maria Mariscal, 43, of Anaheim volunteered an hour of her time Friday to sell tamales for $1 apiece at the local office of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, a nonprofit Latino activist group.

“I don’t have a job, so for me this is my job,” said Mariscal, recipient of the hearing aids. “This gives me hope and makes me feel proud that I can do something for myself.”

Lourdes Villalba, 40, who received the eye surgery that she says kept her from going blind, said, “We don’t want people to give us handouts. We just want them to buy tamales.”

Patients also attend sessions where they talk about their experiences and offer support to one another. The free sessions are conducted by Bracho, volunteers and the patients themselves.

“I have had diabetes for 10 years, and I never thought I could do anything about it,” said Villalba, an Orange resident who now teaches other diabetics.

“This program has made me realize that anything is possible.”