ebourland

I've learned my friend Clara Inés Olaya passed away in April 2007 from cancer at age 61. I wish I had stayed in touch with her. I knew her son Sergio -- a polite, goodhearted, hardworking gentleman. Clara, a freelance consultant and author, was uninsured, and Sergio was left with a quarter million USD in health debt. Clara was a scholar, teacher, and writer; a polyglot, gourmet, cognoscenti, and traveler; an advocate for women's health; a dignified, gentle, and strong person. She worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Academy for Educational Development where I met her in 1998 and worked with her on a breastfeeding education project, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, UNICEF, and UNESCO. She wrote two fine books, Frutas de América and Frutas Tropicales. Her presence was a delight -- and I wish I had expressed as much to her more clearly when I knew her. The world is a poorer place.