The patient only wanted one thing: to survive
Let’s call him Don Pedro. The patient is 30 years old and is happy to have breakfast at the Diospi Suyana Hospital. Because anyone sitting upright on his bed is obviously still alive. And in this case, that’s not a matter of course.
Pedro works on a river somewhere in the mountains. A rockfall occurs completely unexpectedly. Some boulders hit the Quechua on the back with incredible force. At least two ribs break. On the right, a lot of blood collects in the pleural cavity (between the lungs and chest). The lung collapses.
Pedro instinctively senses that he needs help soon, otherwise he will die. He struggles onto his horse and rides five hours (!) through the mountains to his mountain village. From there, a car takes him to the settlement of Antilla. In a small health center, he finally receives medicine for his unbearable pain. An ambulance then transports the seriously injured man to Curahuasi. Pedro is now safe at the Diospi Suyana Hospital.
The surgeons behind his bed are happy that Pedro is alive and probably out of the woods. A drainage tube is now drawing blood and air from his right pleural cavity. The wounds on his back have been treated. Oxygen, antibiotics and strong painkillers round off the treatment.
We could call Pedro a hero. But in truth, he had no other choice. If he hadn’t ridden through the mountains with clenched teeth, he would now be lying dead on a lonely riverbank.
