Audra Kyrk was in Madrid, Spain when she noticed the lump. “It wasn’t something that I questioned. I instinctively knew that I needed to go to the doctor.”
Marist College offers an abroad program at the Universidad de Carlos III campus in Madrid. Kyrk, currently a junior, was one of the ten students who studied there during the Spring 2009 semester.
Discovering what seemed to be a tumor in her right breast was frightening for Kyrk, but she wasn’t sure what to do until her friend Emily Longhi, who was also in Madrid, encouraged her to see a doctor.
“I was in denial about the situation, but Emily took care of me and asked her host family about where they go for medical treatment,” Kyrk said.
Students stay with families living close to Madrid and often call them their “host families.” Longhi’s hosts directed the young women to a government run health center, comparable to an American citizen’s family doctor.
Kryk and Longhi enjoying a night out together in Spain
They soon realized that although the idea of the clinic might be similar to an American doctor’s office, the service and atmosphere are quite different.
“I’m not saying that the doctor’s office had one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, but it was a pretty dingy building. I was definitely not comfortable there,” Kyrk said.
Marist students were informed about health and safety issues by Isabel de Carrasco, the abroad program director in Madrid. Kyrk said there was a list of doctors that could speak English, but there was no specific healthcare provided for abroad students.
Kyrk found herself at a doctor’s desk after about two hours of waiting. She was discouraged when the doctor immediately told her that she would not be examined for another three months because she was “too young” and there seemed to be “no present danger.”
Kyrk was concerned that the tumor had the potential to be breast cancer. According to the CDC, 186,467 women were diagnosed the breast cancer in 2005. There were 41,116 women who died.
“In America, my doctor would have at least examined me. I don’t know if this was an effect of national healthcare in Spain, but I sure hope we won’t be having a similar healthcare situation in America.”
Since a plane ticket home seemed excessive due to the doctor’s advice, Kyrk continued to enjoy Spain. She and Longhi took advantage of the sights and shopping for another three months.
As soon as she arrived in the United States, Kryk called her gynecologist and was seen five days later. They scheduled an operation to remove the tumor two weeks after that.
During the week that she was recovering from her surgery, a call came from her surgeon.
The tumor was benign.
“I’m thankful that in America I could get medical attention quickly, but there are some huge problems (with America’s healthcare system) that I personally think need to be changed. If I didn’t have insurance, I would never know if I was at risk for breast cancer or not. It’s a scary thing.”
For more information on Spain’s healthcare system, click here.
For more information on healthcare reform in America, click here.
