Bienvenido. Welcome.
Arrival – Team Pogo touched down in Guatemala, and as we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted by the colors and sounds of its people. Women and children dressed in woven patterns of colors from the rainbow stood waiting for their loved ones. Proud to wear their traditional Mayan embroidered huipiles (tunics), cortes (skirts) and fajas (sashes). For veterans of the team, it was a familiar and comforting sight. For those traveling here for the first time, it was a sense of wonder and excitement. For all of us, it was beauty and love.
Our bus ride from Guatemala City to Retalhuleu is long, but the transition from the hustle of the city into the vast and lush wilderness is breathtaking. Passing through towns, villages and farms gives us a tiny glimpse of life in this country. We are weary from a full day of travel and are eager to reach our destination, but as we ride west into the setting sun, we know our journey has just begun.
Mucho gusto. Nice to meet you.
Triage Day – “¡Qui-quiri-quí! Cock-a-doodle-do!” The call of el gallo (rooster) greets us as we get our early start to the day. We file into another bus for the short drive to Hospital Hilario Galindo to begin our work and see patients for the first time. Some of whom have traveled for many hours and have already been waiting here for days. Again, we are met with smiles, warm greetings and even warmer hugs. We are treated as if we are old friends returning from a long journey away.
Carrie Kruse, a surgical technologist on her third trip, said the best part of the first day is getting to go out and meet everyone, especially los niños (the kids).
“I don’t speak much Spanish, but we always find a way to communicate and connect. It is so rewarding to know I can help them in such a meaningful way.”
As the team worked on setting up the operating rooms, pharmacy and post-anesthesia care unit, Drs. Pogodzinski (team leader and ENT), Tierney (urology), Ongstad (general surgery), Gindlesberger (family medicine) and Schemmel (ENT) saw patients in the clinic, listening to their concerns, reading charts and X-rays, and determining if they are eligible for surgery. Some were not, and their disappointment welled up as tears in their eyes. All hope is not lost though, as these patients will be referred to local doctors with recommendations to help manage their symptoms.
While it’s hard to turn people away, Dr. Ongstad said her priority is to ensure patient safety.
“If I’m not convinced a surgery will actually help the patient, I cannot in good conscience go ahead with it,” she said. “There is always a risk with surgery even under the best conditions. I want to ensure I help without causing harm.”
The doctors filled up their surgery schedules for the week quickly with cases such as hernia repairs, gallbladder and prostate surgery, tonsillectomies, and adenoid removals. These patients pray for relief from their ailments, some having endured for many years. The positivity, warmth and kindness of the people of Retalhuleu never cease to touch my heart, and I am reminded of the George Strait song I Saw God Today.
Lyrics
I’ve been to church
I’ve read the book
I know he’s here, but I don’t look
Near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I just slow down to stop and stare
Open my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today
~George Strait (I saw God today)
And I did see God today. He was present in every patient’s face and in the hands and hearts of every team member. We pray that God continues to be present throughout the week.
Para sanar. To heal.
Surgery Begins – Dr. Tierney leads the urology team as they prepare for their first patient. Sixty-five-year-old Lisandro came to the hospital due to intense pain and blood in his urine. Due to a blood clot that had formed, Lisandro was unable to urinate and had been using a catheter for two weeks. He was losing so much blood, he needed to have multiple blood transfusions just to keep him alive until the doctor could figure out what was causing the bleed.
After reviewing Lisandro’s scans, Dr. Tierney saw he also had an enlarged prostate that was protruding into his bladder, but before he could address that, he had to find the cause of the bleeding – praying that it wasn’t caused by a cancerous mass. During an exploratory surgery, Dr. Tierney determined a lesion was the cause of the bleed. There was no cancer. The entire team rejoiced in relief. Dr. Tierney cauterized the lesion and was able to perform the transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) to reduce its size.
“Good news!” Dr. Tierney told Lisandro’s family. “The bleeding is stopped, and I don’t see any cancer. He’ll be able to go home without a catheter.”
Lisandro’s wife responded in Spanish. Translation of her words, “Thank you! You saved his life. Now he can live without pain.”
Lisandro woke up from surgery and immediately exclaimed, “Gracias! Gracias! Thank you! Thank you!”
The PACU team gathered around Lisandro to wish him well before he was transferred to the recovery ward. When Dr. Tierney checked on him just two days after the surgery, he was smiling and enjoying time with his wife. His catheter will be removed soon, and they will be able to go home together.
“He can’t do any lifting, exercise or work for one month, but after that, he’ll feel better than he has in 30 years.”
God was definitely present on this day.
La celebración. The celebration.
Surgery Continues – Laura, one of the anesthesiologists, entered the breakroom with a huge smile after prepping a patient for surgery for the following day. She shared that 11-year-old Andrés, who is here for adenectomy and tonsillectomy, is having a birthday in a few days. We knew we needed to do something special to celebrate.
The Faith in Practice team helped us find construction paper and markers, and we made a birthday card. The front of the card was designed to look like the Guatemala flag with sky blue stripes on each side of a white stripe. Inside was written, “¡Feliz cumpleaños!” and “Happy birthday!” with signatures and well wishes from every team member. We included a stuffed papagayo (parrot) and a wooden yo-yo. The yo-yos were handmade by Surgical Technologist Ellie’s dad and made many kids and adults smile throughout the week.
A small group met Andrés and his mom Aura in pre-op to surprise him before he headed into surgery. The room was filled with cheers and tears as we gave him the care package. Andrés told us his tonsils have been causing him problems for about 10 years. They are extremely large and make it difficult for him to breathe.
“The worst part is at night when I am going to bed,” Andrés said. “It is really hard to sleep because I cannot breathe. And the other part is when I swallow. It is really hard to do it. It hurts a lot. God bless you. I want a good life for each one of you. I really appreciate this opportunity you are giving to me.”
Through tears, Aura echoed Andrés’ words.
“I really appreciate all your work because for a mother, it is hard to see your child suffer and not be able to do anything about it,” she said. “I feel bad because he cannot talk properly and the kids at school tease him about it. I pray for you all.”
Hasta la próxima, amigos. Until next time, friends.
Final Day – The final day of surgery always brings a mix of emotions. We are proud of the work we’ve done this week, but we also know there is so much more to do. So many more people who need 0help.
“I wish I could pick them all up and take them home with me,” said Becky, an RN. “I want to help them all and make sure they get follow up care. It’s hard to just leave.”
It is hard to leave. While we miss our home and our families, Guatemala has also become our home and the people our family. I wish I was able to tell everyone’s story – the patients, the hospital staff, the Faith in Practice team and the members of Team Pogo. They all have a story worth telling. This means we will be back again to continue our mission of healing. Until then, los mejores deseos (best wishes).
Team Pogo performed 59 total surgeries:
Dr. Ongstad, general surgery
Dr. Pogodzinski, ENT
Dr. Tierney, urology
Dr. Schemmel, ENT
Dr. Gindlesberger, family medicine
Don, physician assistant
Laura, anesthesiologist
Akiko, anesthesiologist
Ben, CRNA
Aaron, CRNA
Joe, RN
Kari, RN
Megan, RN
Kim, RN
Kaitlin, RN
Sherry, RN
Becky, RN
Carrie, surgical tech
Paul, surgical tech
Ellie, surgical tech
Ariel, pharmacist
Jeff, interpreter
Susan, chaplain
Shari, blogger
