Hugh and The Scorpion Problem

Putting the Yucca in the Beams

Today, my brother and I started on a renovation project in two small chapels adjacent to the church. We have to measure and cut yucca stalks and place them securely in the ceiling beams of the chapels. The overwhelming heat makes this task more difficult than one would think. A young Apache man named Hugh who attends St. Charles parish worked with us today. He was very quiet and reserved, just as many of the Apache people are, but he also had a great sense of humor and would let a chuckle go rather often.


Measuring the Yucca

We also went to dinner at the house of a doctor, Dr. Kim, who works in the clinic here on the Rez. He is a very kind man and has been working on the reservation for six years. His commitment to making a change here is inspiring. He talked to us about a project that he has been working on with a new anti-venom to treat scorpion stings. Scorpion stings are somewhat of a problem on the Rez. Most homes here do not have air conditioning and the summer months can get extremely hot even at night. To deal with this some Apache people sleep outside. Scorpions are abundant down here and so it is not hard to see how this has become a problem. Previous to this new anti-venom, the Apache had to deal with the excruciating pain caused by scorpion stings for a rather long period of time before relief. Children have even died from the stings. The pain caused by a scorpion sting was described by the doctor as a "10 out of 10 on the pain scale. That means it's an inconsolable pain." However, the pain from a scorpion can be treated with an anti-venom, whereas the pain from chronic addiction, poverty, and disease can not be readily alleviated.