Day three: The Warm Fuzzies
Today we’re going to talk about a biproduct of gratitude: the warm fuzzies. We’ve all experienced them at one time or another…that warm, happy feeling triggered from an emotional situation. (Side note: we determined that calidez humana is the Spanish translation of the warm fuzzies.)
Faith in Practice teams inevitably see a whole lot of suffering on these trips. Because Guatemalan healthcare is so broken, the majority of patients have been suffering for a long time. It impacts their lives in so many ways: many can no longer work, their quality of life suffers, they may not be able to eat and become malnourished. For patients in the mobility clinic, many are bedbound and are unable to experience the world outside of a single room.
But there is an abundance of moments that trigger the warm fuzzies, and it’s like a fuel that pushes us through the long days that start at 6 a.m. and end as late as 8 p.m.
Sometimes simple moments sharing a warm smile and a “Buenos días!” between you and a patient conveys a warm feeling of comradery in the knowledge that you’re all in this together.
In the time when I’m not writing, I go to the mobility clinic to build wheelchairs with other members of the mobility team. Sometimes, as a patient is wheeled out after being fitted for a wheelchair, they stop and say a prayer for the team assembling the chairs. The moment is profound, and the gratitude you feel in that instant is honestly overwhelming.
The warm fuzzy-of-today was brought to you by a beautiful 10-year-old girl named Cristal. Cristal was born with spina bifida and is unable to walk. She moves about her home by commando crawling, which has prevented her from attending school. Her slight build and tiny legs are overshadowed by a smile that completely lights up the room and fills your heart.
Her dad, Alvaro, told us she was so excited to get her new chair that she barely slept the night before. In the exam room, our occupational therapist Julie chatted with Cristal. Julie’s questions served a secondary purpose: to let Cristal know that from now on, she can do almost anything: she can be an artist, a writer, go to school…Cristal shyly shares that if she could be anything, she would be a singer. Commence the warm fuzzies! Her life will be very different now thanks to the work of Faith in Practice and our mobility team.
We also enjoyed a brief field trip today that was all about the warm fuzzies: there is a daycare next to the hospital that a few of us visited to drop off bags of books and toys. There were about 30 kids between the ages of two and four, along with two teachers, in a modest cinderblock room. The kids joyfully accepted gifts of books, toys, stuffies, and coloring supplies, and we stayed a bit to talk to the teachers and play with the kids.
On the surgical side, warm fuzzies are a little slower in coming, and so incredibly powerful when they do. Pre-op patients can be in quite a lot of pain, they’re nervous about the procedure, and anxious to feel better.
The hospital staff do their best to manage pain and soothe nerves, but the real reward comes after successful surgery. The patients wake up, and PACU nurses gently welcome them to a new reality with little to no pain.
Seeing the relief on the faces of the patients and their families is the ultimate in warm fuzzies. It’s why we’re here, and why so many Faith in Practice volunteers return to Guatemala year after year.
Susan Orhon
Team Blogger & Photographer
