In Memory of Dr. Avila

Friends of Paraguay

In Memory of Dr. Avila

As we shared in a recent email, Friends of Paraguay is sad to announce that Dr. Raúl Avila, former Peace Corps Medical Officer for Peace Corps Paraguay, passed away on Monday, December 3, 2007 due to smoke inhalation from a fire in his home. He was rescued by firefighters but passed away en route to the hospital. His wife and one of his sons, who were also in the house, both survived. Dr. Avila was PCMO for 28 years before retiring in September 2007.

The staff of Peace Corps Paraguay and Friends of Paraguay are shocked and deeply saddened by the news. We sent condolences and a floral arrangement to the family on behalf of Friends of Paraguay. We will keep FOP members informed of any plans to offer support. Please check our upcoming newsletter and website for details.

This link is to an article that appeared in Ultima Hora. Scroll down to see a number of messages left on their blog regarding Dr. Avila.

FOP is collecting stories and messages for Dr. Avila's family. If you have memories or words of support you would like to share, please email them to Friends of Paraguay. We will collect them and present them to his wife and children. Also, we would like to share some of your stories on the FOP website so if you would prefer to keep your message private, just let us know and we won't post it. If you would like to have your email listed with your message, please tell us that as well. Below are some of the emails we've received so far.

Kristine Vega Shares Fond Memories of Working with Dr. Avila:

One of the great gifts of Peace Corps service is having the opportunity to meet so many outstanding people. Dr. Raul Avila was certainly one of these people – and had a tremendous impact on several thousand Volunteers over the many years that he served as our medical doctor with Peace Corps Paraguay. He was a wonderful colleague and a great friend.

Raul was professional, smart, dedicated, hard-working, creative and undaunted in the face of any crisis. He was so humane. He really cared about the Volunteers working far from home, just as he cared about the poor and the communities without a voice - communities where our volunteers lived and worked, the sick at “Clinicas”, those suffering with physical and mental handicaps, and those abused by the harsh political realities of the time.

I remember the famous events of Feb. 2-3, 1989 – we had over 100 Peace Corps Volunteers in town for various trainings, and Dr. Avila made the rounds of the all the low-cost hotels and local hangouts to make sure they were all safe, while the rest of Asuncion were still hiding behind locked doors, afraid to go out on the streets. Years later, I remember seeing him at the door of the operating room in the Hospital Francesa – where the surgeons had already given up twice, and Dr. Avila was calling another leading surgeon, who dropped what he was doing and came. Our patient survived against all odds. I remember the terrible accident the night with no cell phones, no roads, and Dr. Avila finding the best rescue and medical services and going himself with no clear destination to find the lost injured volunteer. Again, our patient survived against all odds. There are endless examples of when Dr. Avila did so much more, just wouldn’t give up.

Dr. Avila was brilliant and dedicated – but oh, God, was he funny! He could make us laugh when we thought we would never laugh again. He had no grand airs, and made everyone around him as comfortable as he was. He loved life, and he loved all of us – he loved people! Please picture our All Volunteer Conference – with 200 Volunteers already upset because we changed the date on them at the last minute. They were in a large conference room in San Bernardino – I remember the one wall behind the podium had a fantastic view. They were grumbling (we learn to do that quite well as PCVs!) that they had to deal with changes in plans just because the Director from Washington had changed her plans and timing to visit. On top of that – the visitors were running late, and they were being held hostage in the conference room waiting for their arrival.

Meanwhile, back in Asuncion, Raul, Paul Kealey and I had a no-show at the airport – the Director had missed the flight!! Someone had to stand up in front of the 200 Volunteers and say, sorry the Director couldn’t make it! Not an envious position. Since I was the one expected to stand up in front of the 200 Volunteers, I asked Raul to help. He quickly donned appropriate (inappropriate?) garb, including a wig and heels, and we headed out to San Bernardino, with our stand-in for the Director, the “Honorable Doctor(a) . . .” It was a spectacular entrance. I accompanied him into the room to be met by 200 cameras – no human eyes – flashes, cheers, then all of the cameras dropped suddenly as one PCV standing near me commented (a bit too loudly) “wow – she doesn’t look that good in person!” Stunned silence and stares followed us to the podium, where I introduced our “guest” – aka Dr. Raul Avila – who began addressing the PCVs in one of the most memorable events of Peace Corps Paraguay history! The audience quickly identified the falsetto, and the cheers were deafening! It was wonderful – the staff and Volunteers loved it! (Okay, so the real Director, who did arrive the next day, didn’t “love it” as much as the rest of us did.) This was not the only – or the best – example of Raul’s incredible spontaneity and humor – but it shows that other aspect of his personality. He would never take himself too seriously.

For Hilda, Raul and Jorgito – there are no words than can suffice to express the loss, the unfairness, and the rabia of all this. There is no way now to put this into perspective, it just hurts too much. But, I think Raul would want us to remember him for all that he was – and whether by great works, small kindnesses, or a touch of humor – he would want us to help make this world a bit kinder, and to make the challenges faced in life a bit easier for everyone. God bless him and his family.

John McCloskey - Message posted on the newspaper blog Ultima Hora Ultima Hora en Paraguay, 12/04/07.

Al escuchar la triste noticia del incendio y fallecimiento del gran Dr. Raúl Ávila, me puso casi insensato y congelado...como puede ser? Este hombre acaba de jubilarse de TRES grandes carreras profesionales - decano de la facultad de medicina; gastroenterólogo; médico principal de varios miles de norteamericanos que vinieron a paraguay para servir con el Cuerpo de Paz. Yo llegué en 1979 como voluntario y fuí muy afortunado quedarme en Paraguay hasta el año 2000 cuando salí siendo director de Cuerpo de Paz en el país. Durante esos años, fuí testigo al hecho que Dr. Raúl Ávila fue mucho mas que un médico - fue un sabio consejero, estupenda humorista y mas que todo, un gran humanitario. Fui afortunado poder compartir muchos momentos laborales, sociales y familiares con este hombre y sé que su muerte crea un gran vació en las vidas de sus innumerables amigos, sus dos hijos y por supuesto, su querida esposa Hilda. Desde Washington, envío de mi parte y de parte de mi esposa y de mis 3 hijos paraguayos mis pésames mas profundos a Hilda, a sus dos hijos y a los demás miembros de la gran familia Ávila.

John McCloskey 4/12/07

Dra. Ximena Matamoros - 11/12/07

Mi mas sinceras condolencias a la familia del Dr. Avila, no puedo creer que ya no este entre nosotros, una persona tan agradable y sabia, que siempre llamaba a la cordura y raciocinio, alguien que realmente se preocupaba por los demás!!!

En el momento en que me entere de la noticia, me condolí profundamente, no puedo imaginar el dolor que sentirá su familia si yo que lo conocí poco tuve que tomar unos momentos para secar mis lagrimas.

Realmente una gran persona, lo reacordaremos siempre con muchísimo cariño.

Solo puedo rezar para que el Señor le de resignación y paz a su familia. Un abrazo en la distancia.

Dra. Ximena Matamoros
PCMO Nicaragua 11/12/07

Dr. Mauricio Peralta - Cochabamba 12 de diciembre de 2007

Estimada senora Hilda viuda de Avila,

Es para mi por demas penoso el dirigirme a usted en estos momentos. He sentido muchisimo la muerte de mi muy apreciado y querido amigo Dr. Raul Avila a quien conoci hace ya muchos anos en un viaje a la Republica Dominicana. Es a partir de ese momento que entablamos una muy sincera e incomparable amistad. Raul era una persona fuera de serie, de esas que aparecen en muy contadas ocasiones. A pesar de la diferencia de edad que tenia yo con el, esta no se notaba ya que Raul fue siempre una persona juguetona, bromista pero sobre todo amigo en todos los aspectos. Realmente lo extranaremos muchisimo y nuestros viajes a los distintos paises cada ano ya no seran los mismos.
El dia 17 de septiembre, cuando recibimos la noticia de la jubilacion de Raul, yo le envie un mensaje que parece no le llego. Este mensaje es el siguiente:

Querido amigo Raul,

Es para mi una sorpresa desagradable de que hoy sea tu ultimo dia en el Cuerpo de Paz. Obviamente no solo por el Cuerpo de Paz si no por el amigo y colega a quien llegue a tener un aprecio muy grande. Creeme Raul que todos te extranaremos muchisimo en los CMEs donde tu presencia era siempre un motivo de alegria para todos los amigos de "La Orden". Espero que en algun momento en el futuro podamos disfrutar de esta amistad nuevamente. Si alguna vez visitas Cochabamba recuerda que aqui tienes un amigo incondicional.
Recibe un abrazo muy sincero,
Mauricio Peralta

Estoy seguro de que Raul sera una guia para nosotro en este nuestro recorrido por la vida.

Reciba senora Hilda mis mas sentidos pesames.

Dr. Mauricio Peralta
Cochabamba, Bolivia

Lisette Isaias, MD - 13/12/2007

Mi más sentido pésame a la familia del Dr. Ávila y a todos sus hijos postizos de la familia de Peace Corps.

Del Dr. recuerdo que era muy correcto y sencillo. Muy querido por sus colegas.
Mis respetos,

Lisette Isaias, MD
PCMO Rep. Dominicana

Suni Su. - 13/12/2007

Estimada Familia Avila,

Yo llevo un año trabajando en el Cuerpo de Paz Peru. Mucho antes de ir a Panama para la reunion anual de PCMOs. Ya habia escuchado sobre el Dr. Avila... Era el PCMO mas respetado de todos y para mi fue realmente un honor el poder conocerlo en Panama. Es todo un ejemplo no solo como PCMO para el resto de nosotro sino como Medico y mas como persona.

Se él esta haciendo algo bueno en donde esta...

Fuerza...

Suni Su
PCMO Peru

McStanton - 13/12/2007

Jennifer Clarke - 14/12/2007

Lorrie:

There are not enough words ….. I am sad, sorry and heartbroken.
I have attached a photograph taken in March 2005 during Costa Rica's CME. Please add it to the gallery.
Saluditos

Dr. Avila

Jennifer Clarke RN
Peace Corps Medical Officer
Costa Rica

Nancy Carolyn Kwant - 18/12/2007

I like many PCV's had my share of medical issues while in country and had an ongoing relationship with Dr. Avila. To me, Dr. A was the expert of handing out classic one-liners when it came to your medical conditions. I have several memories but the following stick out the most:

Remember having arrived in country and you're at Ykua-sati doing all sorts of pre-orientation stuff, one of which is sitting down with the PCMO. Now I'd battled all kinds of beauracracy due to my health including proving that my childhood allergies and asthma were practically nonexistent and would not prevent me from doing my job. When Dr. Avila lugged out my encyclopedia thick medical file, I fully expected a lecture similar to what I'd repeatedly heard from Washington. Instead Dr. A looks at me and says, "Beware of the mango. Next."

Another time, I was just back from Brazil and had been bitten by some sort of poisonous spider. I sat there a bit dazed and said, "Dr. Avila, I don't feel too good. I feel kinda hot."

He took my temperature and replied, "Your temperature is 104 degrees. This is not good."

As volunteers, we become our own doctors and surgeons as well, becoming quite skilled at removing piques or the occasional bat(sp?) fly. At one time, I thought I had an ura buried deep in my skin, so I chose self surgery but in the middle of my operation, felt a tugging and thought, "This one is really in there. I'll have to wait till I get to Asuncion." A day later I'm up in Dr. A's office explaining my most recent condition. He looks at my leg and the incision I had made. He calmly replies, "This is not an ura. This is you. Stop digging." Apparently I'd dug into my tendon and that's what I was pulling. I swear he must have shaken his head at me more than once.

But my all time favorite Dr. Avila story was when as trainees he was brought in to speak to us about the various stomach ailments and vichos and in closing he said, "On more than one occassion you will come to me and say, 'Dr. Avila, I am sick.'" I will ask, "Did you drink terrere with the farmers? And you will say, 'Yes.'" I will ask, "Did you wash your hands? And you will say, 'No.'" And I will say, "This is why you are sick."

Dr. Avila, you will be greatly missed but greatly remembered.

Nancy Carolyn Kwant
RPCV '93-'95
A-15