Origin: Mexico
“The doctor, surrounded by a medical committee, carefully reviewed the EKG and diagnosed that my uncle’s heart muscle ‘had suffered minor damage.’ I understand that a healthy heart can compensate for minor damages. But without letting the doctors finish their explanation, my uncle’s eyes grew angry. He broke out and called the whole thing outrageous. He accused the doctors of medical malpractice for not spotting his heart problem right away during his first trip to the emergency room. ‘You do not care about my health!’ my uncle yelled. ‘I could have died!’”
Origin: Luanda, Kenya
“Luhya customs dictate that the dead must be buried at their rural home and not in a cemetery. My husband’s body was taken to his rural home where several traditional rituals were performed. Being his legitimate wife, I had to accompany his body in a hearse. I had to sit beside the coffin. Finally, when we arrived, his body was removed from the coffin and it was laid down on a bed. That night, I had to sleep with his body and I was forced to have sex with him by his clan’s men. That was just the first ritual.”
Origin: South Africa
“May has told me that there are times when she would like nothing better than to end her life, but she is a person of tremendous faith, who despite all that she has suffered, still believes that she has a task to accomplish in life; a purpose to fulfill.”
Origin: Montego Bay, Jamaica
“I had been suffering from insomnia and chronic pain for days. I simply didn’t have the strength to continue fighting what seemed to be a losing battle. That night, I got my medications, lay them on the bed before me and decided that I was going to take them all.”
Origin: Bacolor, Philippines
“We all sat in the living room, not knowing what was happening. This time, everyone heard the stones falling from the sky. Not small harmless rocks, but giant stones falling from the sky. When they hit the earth, they sounded like bombs exploding.”