Call For Health Story

When a loved one dies, grieving family members are faced with a multitude of decisions to be made regarding funeral arrangements.  What kind of funeral should it be?  What funeral provider should we use?  Family and friends need to be notified.  Flowers need to be ordered, etc. etc.  Funerals rank among the most expensive purchases many of us will ever make.  A traditional funeral, including casket and vault, can cost about $6,000.00, not including any of the “extras” which could add thousands of dollars to the bottom line.

Now imagine a migrant farmworker who leaves his or her family behind and migrates to the United States either by themselves, with other family members or friends, all to find work in order to support themselves and/or their family.  Accidents, whether job related or not, occur frequently and sometimes they can be fatal. Unfortunately, the majority of the time they do not have the support or financial means to make such choices regarding funeral arrangements, especially if the deceased’s body needs to be returned to their country of origin.

Call for Health received a phone call from Luis, a farmworker in Florida, calling about his 23 year old brother who was involved in a head-on collision and was killed instantly.  Luis told the Call for Health Specialist that his brother, David, was driving home after dark when he was struck by an oncoming RV that veered into his lane due to bad weather conditions.  The brothers had been in the United States a little over a year and had worked the blueberry fields in New Jersey and were currently picking oranges in Florida.  Luis contacted Call for Health the morning after the accident but the only information he was able to provide was the phone number to the local Sheriff’s Department.  Luis understandably was still very emotional and confused. *Read the whole story*