Ted Poe: “America's Peace Corps and those volunteers are our angels abroad. They represent the very best in America. Here with us…”

“America's Peace Corps and those volunteers are our angels abroad. They represent the very best in America. Here with us today in the gallery, we have one of those brave volunteers, Ms. Sara Thompson. Since she was a little girl, Sara dreamed of helping rural communities in Africa. When she grew up, the Peace Corps gave her that perfect opportunity. She served in Burkina Faso, where she worked to keep girls in school. Unfortunately, her dream turned into a tragedy when the Peace Corps prescribed medication called mefloquine to protect her from malaria. During her service, she began to have horrific nightmares and struggled with mental health. When she turned to the Peace Corps for help, the medical officer excused her symptoms as simply ``not adjusting well.'' One night, Sara woke up dizzy, nauseous, and threw up the entire night, so she went to the doctor, and the doctor told her it was an ear infection. Months later still, Sara struggled with nausea and nightmares. And with no support from the Peace Corps, she took matters into her own hands and started to research those medical problems. It was then that she realized the malaria medicine the Peace Corps had given her was making her sick. As it turns out, mefloquine's side effects are so terrible, Special Operation Forces in the Army won't even take that medication.…”