This morning, we got to Hilario Galindo at 7:30 am and settled in for the four days of surgery. It was a long, almost 12-hour day. Team Trust arrives at the hospital every day together, and we leave the hospital together. We met for our nightly devotional before leaving for the hotel around 7 pm. We connected with our spiritual leader, John Hubbard, over a video call. It was so great to see his face and hear his words before leaving our place of action.
John checked in, shared kind words, and reminded us that as John Denver sang – “some days are diamonds, some days are stone.” We all agreed over dinner that today was for sure a diamond. It might not have been precisely the diamond we thought we’d get when we started the day – but it felt special and one of a kind. Better than what you thought when you started.
Here at Hilario Galindo we are running a similar but smaller operation than in years past. The hospital’s layout is a little different, but the team seems to like it. We have two operating rooms for general surgeries and one for gynecology. There is one large room for patients to get care before their operation, and then they return to the other side of the room after surgery to the PACU.
As expected, the first surgery was a bit of a slow start to kick off the week as everyone gets going. The team falls into a rhythm, and you can feel it once they’ve settled in. I spent the day moving from room to room, taking photos, and observing the team in action. There was an extreme sense of calm across the entire team. It was powerful and energizing. The different groups – pre-op, each operating room, the PACU, and the ward – had their dynamics, but they were all rooted in supporting others. They were asking questions, requesting support when needed, finding ways to teach one another, and keeping a positive attitude with laughter.
The day seemed to fly by and kept a steady pace. Some rooms took more time than others. We thought we’d be wrapped up here by 5 pm at the latest, but the final patient came out of surgery around 6 pm and into the ward at 7 pm.
We headed back for dinner and regrouped, reflecting on our day. Excited to head back tomorrow – ready to make it another diamond of a day!
– Marian
