Edgar, The Ice Cream Man

I met a dear man on the street outside Cali Central Cumberland Presbyterian Church. His name is Edgar Ramirez, and with his little cart of chilly treats, he absolutely melted my heart.

Edgar has a litany of medical problems, and he has no health insurance. When I asked him how he pays for his medicine, he sweetly pointed to his ice cream cart. Seven days a week, Edgar pushes his cart through his Cali neighborhood to make enough money to pay rent on a tiny apartment he shares with his wife.

The thing about Edgar that really got to me is that he cannot imagine not working. I mean literally... he cannot understand the concept of not going out and working every single day of his life. This became apparent when I asked him what would happen to him when he is old and no longer able to work. Through my translator, I tried rephrasing the question three times, but his answer was the same no matter what the question. He would always have to work, he explained, to take care of his wife. Finally I pressed through, asking him who will take care of him and his wife when he is old and frail and unable to do this job or ANY job. God will take care of me, he said.

It's impossible to overlook the faith of Edgar and of others we met in Cali. The young Colombian woman who is transcribing the Spanish interviews for me has been taken by it, too. She herself was forced to leave Colombia with her two children two years ago after her husband -- who worked for the Colombian government -- was murdered. And after watching some of our interviews with Cali's elderly, she was moved. "These people have nothing," she said, "but their faith is so strong. It makes me stop and look at my life and examine MY faith. It puts my problems in perspective."

I hope that meeting these amazing people through our documentary will have a similar effect on you.

AN UPDATE: I first reported Edgar's story here in May 2006. Since then, I have learned that Edgar succumbed to any number of his many health problems. Had he had access to health care, perhaps he could have lived to have seen his grandchildren grow up.
(photo by Mark Mosrie)