The things we take for granted… – Tuesday
As the mission photographer, I’m so fortunate. I am one of the few people who get to witness every piece of the mission. I see the Surgeons work their magic in the Operating Room (OR), watch the Nurse Angels support them, and witness the Anesthesiologists’ gentle nature as a frightened patient is put to sleep. I watch the Interpreters connect with patients and provide a lifeline of communication. I watch the Audiologists work miracles on the hearing impaired. I get to comfort a parent when they witness their child hear for the first time, and I get to comfort a parent when they find out their child will never hear a sound. I get to know the patients and their families from the clinic, to pre-op, to recovery. In each one of these venues I torture them with my limited Spanish and feel their warmth and gratitude when they know they aren’t alone. The list goes on and on. I get to see all of it and it’s easy to take for granted.
I realized this when I heard that Marilee, one of our fabulous Scrub Nurses, had the opportunity to see the other side for the first time since her third trip with Faith in Practice. She helped build wheelchairs in the Mobile Clinic on Sunday before our week of surgeries began. Hearing her experience about watching an elderly woman after she was fitted for a wheelchair was moving. She realized she never gets to see this side of the mission. She sees the patient awake for a brief moment in the OR before they are put to sleep, operated on, then taken away to recovery.
She watched as the woman left the clinic with her daughter. The daughter wheeled her mother over to a statue of a large, blue cross. The mother placed her hand on the statue, bowed her head and prayed. It was moving for Marilee to see a patient on this side of their journey. The gratitude, the tears, the smiles, the love…it’s such a cool part.
I also believe it’s easy to take for granted the medical tools we have in the United States vs. what we face when we arrive at Hospital Hilario Galindo. It’s a blaring reminder time and time again of our blessings and good fortune. I’ll be honest, I’m not great at asking people for things. But in this area of mission work, it’s imperative to reach out and be humble for any support or assistance we can obtain for the patients and their families in Guatemala.
To say we are beyond grateful to people who donate to our cause is an ENORMOUS understatement. Below are a few examples of that generosity…
Ephraim Atwal MD, Buffalo Ambulatory Surgical Center
-4 cases of surgical gloves
-2 cases of N95 Masks
-Blades for Laryngoscope
-Ambu Bag
-Endotracheal Tubes
-Covers for the GlideScope
-Reusable Laryngeal Mask Airways (LMA)
-Stylets for breathing tubes
Great Lakes Anesthesia
-EU Scope – (The scope used on 12-yr-old, Sara, the patient with the mass around her larynx. This gave her a life-saving diagnoses)
Kenmore Mercy Hospital
-Laryngoscopes & Blades
-Surgical Caps
-Flexible Laryngeal Mask Airways
Audiology:
-30 hearing aids from different companies
-Tubing for hearing aids
-Ear mold material
-Wax guards
-Approx. $6,000 for hearing aids (donated by various individuals)
Every donated item, no matter the size or cost, makes a phenomenal impact. Not only does it change the life of the patient, but also the lives of their families. Again, it’s easy to take for granted the domino effect that happens when treating a patient. So many people benefit.
Thank you, Lord, from the bottom of our hearts and souls for these blessings.
– Shari Correll
Photographer/Blogger
