Laura Turiano and Michael Terry, longtime supporters, have chosen to donate to Hesperian ever since they witnessed firsthand how Hesperian’s materials save lives and empower people.Michael and Laura met as health workers in El Salvador in 1992, helping people recover and rebuild from the civil war. They shared the belief that health is a right, the desire to work with people organizing to overcome the effects of years of violence, and the goal of sharing skills with health workers to improve well-being in their communities.
They quickly found their copies of Where There Is No Doctor to be pivotal in their work.
“I learned how to suture wounds, and the ‘green pages’ educated
me on which medicines to give people. In one rural clinic, theinformation helped me diagnose a young girl being treated improperly with antibiotics. The knowledge I gained from Where There Is No Doctor saved her life,” explains Michael.
“We’ve found all the Hesperian books helpful and decided to donate and increase our donation over the years,” says Laura. “It’s a tremendously worthy organization with an incredible impact worldwide.“
Michael and Laura went on to become physician assistants and still use Hesperian materials today – Michael teaching patients and medical students in a public hospital, Laura working at a community center.
“Our physician assistant program didn’t teach the social determinates of health. Hesperian’s materials offer both the ‘traditional’ information plus the social factors that influence health status and solutions to organize for better health. Plus they incorporate a feminist perspective that is conspicuously absent in most health materials.”