Right before lunch yesterday, Brooklyn, Diane, and I were washing our hands, and the dirt from assembling wheelchairs all morning ran black into the sink.
“How beautiful are the feet that bring good news!” exclaimed Brooklyn. (Romans 10:15…we had to search for the correct reference.) It seemed an apt analogy, although one could hardly describe the filth left behind as beautiful.
But it was! The beauty of our dirty hands demonstrated the service in Christ rendered to those in suffering. And that day, 17 Guatemalans who were unable to move about the world left our mobility clinic in brand new wheelchairs, they and their families filled with gratitude for their newly found freedom. With God’s grace, their suffering will be so much less.
The work continued today. The mobility clinic saw 31 patients today. Some walked with difficulty, while others were carried in chairs, or in the arms of loved ones.
I found Blanca, a patient from the mobility clinic, sitting in her new wheelchair and eating a mid-morning snack in the shade outside the clinic with her daughter and infant grandson. She was very happy because Faith in Practice changed her life that morning.
Prior to receiving her wheelchair, Blanca was bedbound, completely unable to move. “I’m happy to be able to go outside, and around my home now,” said Blanca.
More good news: The surgical teams began their work with an ambitious roster of 21 patients in need of relief from painful gallbladders, hernias, and lymphomas. The work is intense, but also joyful. It’s interesting to move about the operating rooms and observe the different surgical teams in action. There is music playing, and friendly banter interspersed with intense concentration.
The doctors and anesthesiologists perform a thorough intake for each patient on clinic day, but sometimes surprises happen in the OR and today there was no exception.
Dr. Declan Fleming was performing what should have been a routine gallbladder removal when he discovered a complication with the patient: she had developed a fistula between her gallbladder and colon that required an additional colon repair along with the gallbladder resection.
“It’s nice having an experienced team because they’re able to deal with a change of plan in the middle of the surgery,” said Dr. Fleming, “and because there were other surgeons on the trip I was able to get them to come in and look, and one of the surgical residents [Zach] was able to come in and assist on the most complicated part.”
The patient is now in recovery and looking better already. To be cautious, the patient will be kept overnight for a couple of days to be sure the process of healing is going well. Had her condition been left alone, she would have surely experienced a life-threatening infectious episode.
“Author Ken Gire often talks about ‘Divine appointments’ in his books,” said Dr. Fleming, “and this was certainly a Divine appointment for her.”
Fortunately for the patient her outcome is excellent, as were the outcomes of all the surgeries today. Another thing for which to be grateful.
Susan Orhon
Team Blogger & Photographer
