The day started early with a nutritious breakfast. Then the group gathered for a devotion led by Dennis. The guided meditation focused on centering ourselves in the midst of the first day’s chaos. We were encouraged to identify our “North Star,” our personal focal point, to guide our service this week. What was beautiful about this message was to see the group finding inspiration from this throughout the day and reminding one another to adapt and overcome the obstacles that came up.
Today was our group’s first day at the hospital. It was eye-opening, to say the least. Hundreds of people came from all over the country, waiting to be seen with the hope of being healed. They put their trust in the doctors, and so many patients want and deserve answers to their pain and validation of what they have endured.
It is heartbreaking to hear how long some of the patients have been in pain. There were many patients that had gone years without medical attention due to the cost of care. There was one woman today with a fracture in her leg that never healed from 6 years ago, and she has not once seen a medical professional until today.
There were many patients seen today that will be able to get surgery this week and hopefully will be on their way to recovery. Tragically, on the flip side of this were patients that have waited years to get help and unfortunately were unable to due to lack of necessary medical equipment, insufficient medical history, or operations in which the benefits do not outweigh the risks.
Here are some of the patients and their stories that brought them to Los Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro today.
Walter is a 20-year-old male who was in a car accident 2 years prior. He lives on the opposite side of the country and drove 12 hours to get here. He had fractures in both legs, and they3 are severely infected. They will attempt to get rid of the infection, and if they are not successful, this young male will need an amputation. If they are successful in clearing the infection, he will still have a long road ahead of him, needing 4 more surgeries. Luckily, a woman from the area where he resides drives patients 12 hours to get the help they need. It truly takes a village.
A set of 12-year-old twins came in today hoping for improved hearing and increased breathing capability. The girls sleep in the same bedroom and hope the surgery will prevent them from waking one another up due to snoring. 🙂
It was a successful day of triaging and helping as many people as possible get the necessary help this week. Schedules are booked for the coming day and all are excited!
-Beata Pogodzinski & Rebecca Ross
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