“Give us courage, give us strength to do good to all who need us, so that one day we may see God face to face eternally.” ~ Noël Goemmane
It’s hard to believe that we’re coming to the end of our Faith in Practice clinic week in Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala. I reached out to some of our practitioners today to ask them about their most memorable patients.
Dr. Hilary (General Medicine) told me about a group of women who came from the village of La Angostura in the bay called El Golfete. Their journey required them to take one ferry to the coastal town of Livingston on the Caribbean, then change to another ferry to reach Puerto Barrios, ending with a bus ride to our clinic location. They left their homes at 5:45am and at 3:00pm we were expediting them through the final departments of our clinic to make sure they would be able to complete their journey home the same day. All the women in the group were wearing their best traditional Mayan dresses and looked proud and regal. Few of us can imagine traveling an entire day to seek medical care and I dare say none of us would dress so beautifully to visit a doctor.
I learned about a gentleman in his mid to late 60s who lives with his aunt in a home with severe food insecurity, from Dr. Janice (General Medicine). He was suffering from fatigue and weakness, has lost 15 pounds this year, and currently only weighs 80 pounds. They are barely able to afford two meals a day. Dr. Janice was able to compassionately listen to him and then consulted our Guatemalan-based staff to ask for resources for the gentleman and his aunt. Stories like this are sadly not uncommon in Guatemala.
Dr. Carol (Pediatrics) shared a story about a mother and her two children who were in her clinic with common childhood medical complaints. After taking care of the children, the family continued to our Education department, and then onto Pharmacy. At the end of the day the entire family returned to Dr. Carol’s office and waited for the last patient to leave so that they could thank her and take a photo with their doctor. They all asked if they could give Dr. Carol a hug, and when it was the mother’s turn, she had tears in her eyes. It was clear what a moving experience this was for Dr. Carol when she recounted the story to me. Our patients here take nothing for granted and are quick to express their gratitude.
Kristy (Education), a midwife by profession, ran our Education department this week. Her memorable patient was a 24-year-old mother of two young daughters who is confined to a wheelchair because of a gunshot wound that she sustained in the past. She came to Kristy because she was looking for tools to manage her stress. Kristy showed her how to meditate. She also set the girls up with tablets showing them a film about living in a healthy world.
The most memorable patient in our Ultrasound clinic was a middle-aged man named Ronaldo. Liz, our medical sonographer, conducted an ultrasound on his liver area because he wanted to know the state of his fatty liver disease. He had recently had his gallbladder out. What made him memorable was the grace and kindness that he showed Liz. She said he was so grateful and sweet and told her that he was excited to come to the clinic because of the memories that he’ll have from it. He then told her that he hopes God gives Liz a lot more life.
Dr. Irina, who is a retired Family Physician, and is our general Physician in the Mobility clinic was moved by a 44-year-old female patient earlier in the week. Her patient has cerebral palsy, has never been able to walk and has been confined to a wheelchair her entire life. She came to our clinic with her mother and sister because she needed a new wheelchair. The entire family was incredibly joyous and kind, even with the sad situation of their daughter and sister.
We’ll all be returning home in the next few days with memories of hard work and gratifying outcomes. Spending time with the people of Puerto Barrios has made our lives richer.
If you are interested in supporting Faith in Practice, our team fundraising page can be found at https://donate.faithinpractice.org/team/523975
Ruth Lacey
Team Blogger & Photographer
