Team Blog #3, Monday, 9/13/2021
On our first clinic morning the devotional was conducted by Joe Wiatt, who with his wife Vera, founded Faith In Practice in 1994. Joe shared how he was called to follow Christ and challenged us to open our ears and hearts to listen to the call and life of Christ in our hearts. Joe and Vera will share their journey with Christ to found and continue to nurture Faith In Practice during our morning Meditations.
In keeping with our challenge to answer the call I asked members of our team what emotions they were experiencing as we traveled to our first clinic day, a new adventure for some. The main emotion expressed over and over was excitement. Maggie, a wheelchair assembler felt excitement and had the goal of assembling a wheelchair on her own. Alejandra, an interpreter,
was excited to finally get to experience a clinic and work with patients. Jacy was excited to take on a new challenge of working in the Pharmacy. Each person was at peace with their decision and felt we will make an impact.
As our bus pulled up to the school in San Francisco Zapotitlan, Josh, the Director of the Mobility Program, looked out the bus window and said, “I think I see our first pediatric wheelchair patient!” Getting out of the bus I was able to meet Rosita carried by her mother, and with permission was able to take their picture. Their first visit was to the pediatric clinic for an evaluation by Dr. Demmick and Shelby.
As the Clinics readied for the patients, the in-country volunteers and Faith In Practice staff went through the line of patients taking temperatures and screening for COVID symptoms.
We were able to get a picture of the “red hat” volunteers before the beautiful welcome banners they prepared for us.
On transferring to the wheelchair clinic, we learned that Rosita, our paralyzed patient, is 16 years old and has had cerebral palsy since birth. Dr. Dimmick explained she had been a ten-month pregnancy which put her delivery at risk. Rosita is non-verbal and does not attend school. She is at home with her mother and is carried as needed. The family lives about 10 minutes from this week’s Clinic.
We all became aware of the need to expedite the visit when we learned the five-year brother was home caring for the one-year-old baby who is still breast feeding.
Once in the wheelchair clinic, Mynor, a wheelchair technician and Joanie, a wheelchair assembler, measured Rosita. Josh Greenman and the wheelchair team were excited for we are the first Faith In Practice group to bring pediatric wheelchairs to the Clinics. Until today Pediatric patients needing special chairs were taken to Antigua with a parent and a “red hat volunteer.” Our Clinic was the first to have six pediatric chairs and the ability to customize them for our patients.
Joanie and Maggie had watched YouTube videos before the trip and yesterday took lessons from Mynor on assembling chairs. It was amazing that by one and a half hours into today’s Clinic, Maggie and Joanie had assembled a chair on their own. Joanie was assisting Josh and Mynor in the complicated process of Pediatric wheelchair assembly and customizing the chair with pads and foam to prevent skin friction.
The kindness of the team Staff was exemplified when John our Pharmacist left the Pharmacy in competent hands to go to the Wheelchair Clinic and teach Rosita’s Mother to give three types of Vitamins that had been ordered. Liquid vitamins for Rosita, chewable vitamins for the five-year old and prenatal vitamins for the breastfeeding Mom that would enrich the nursing baby and mother. The wheelchair and pharmacy team and other patients and families in the wheelchair clinic were so happy to see Rosita and her mother leave the clinic with her new wheelchair.
The triage team was busy throughout the day as groups of patients with about 35 patients each were brough in about every two hours in accord with COVID protocols.
The clinics were up and running at an amazing pace. In the lab Brenda and Jill were quickly doing lab tests and EKGs. Dr. Demmick and Shelby had a four-year-old patient with an infection after a dental procedure that resulted in an infection into the orbit of the eye and lungs that required a transfer to the hospital.
Dr. Lewis shared that he had written many Surgical referrals. Referrals had a steady stream of patients to prepare for surgery.
As our first day ends, we want everyone to know we are thinking of our family and friends in Houston and east Texas who are under threat from tropical Storm Nicholas.
