community

The British Ambassador's Residence was the locale for a recent luncheon prepared under the direction of Chef Marina Lewis (above, left) and Chef Israel Valencia for the benefit of Casita de Mausi. Casita de Mausi provides lodging for families of scarce means from the Interior whose members are being treated for cancer at the Instituto Oncologico Nacional. Before this project existed, it was very common to see such families sleeping on the streets of Panama City in order to be able visit their ailing relatives, and also very common for cancer patients to suffer and die without any visitors, despite their families' eagerness to lend their support. We still frequently see this phenomenon in the capital, particularly around the Hospital del Niño and Hospital Santo Tomas.