Hospital Visit/Set Up
I am fortunate to have joined several Faith in Practice mission trips over the years. First to Hospital Hilario Galindo in Retalhuleu, I am proud to join my daughter on her first mission trip as a PACU Nurse to Obras Sociales del Santo Hermando Pedro, La Antigua. On our mission trip together, we are joining Heinrich/Pond #779, a well-seasoned orthopedic team.
Sunday started off with a beautiful cool morning at Hotel Quinta de Las Flores where we had a lovely breakfast accompanied by the best coffee in the world! A devotional is followed by a walk to the hospital where the team is greeted by this week’s patients and their families.
The Heinrich/Pond team has 37 members, including 21 new and excited people joining for the first time. Upon arrival and introduction to the facility, the team is quick to spread out across the hospital, unloading supplies from the never-ending flow of totes being wheeled in, setting up 5 operating rooms, and sorting & organizing the medications for surgery and going home with the patient.
This week the team will perform 72 surgeries, including knee & hip replacement, reconstruction, tumor removal, osteomyelitis, amputation, tendon lengthening, and hardware removal. The surgeons and anesthetists meet with every patient and their families to discuss their health and their upcoming surgery. Almost every patient who sees a surgeon today will be scheduled this week.
The engineers from Zimmer Biomet are part of the team and have provided all the hardware and expertise for the joint replacements. The engineers spend hours unpacking, sorting, and inventorying the hardware, and they will accompany the surgeons in each surgery.
Meet Paola Jute she is a translator assisting the team. She is from Bolivia and is living in Antigua with her husband, who works for the Peace Core. Paola regularly translates at the hospital throughout the year, you can find her translating for the Team all over the hospital.
-Wendy Kirsner
