Day three is behind us and we find ourselves halfway through this Antigua adventure. Everyone has worked tirelessly today despite some cases going majorly long. Shout out to the PACU nurses—Chris, Donna, Thoa, and Lori—who stayed at Las Obras until after dark this evening. You guys are amazing!
Scott started us off this morning with devotion, and I’d like to summarize part of it. We all moved the little tables together at dinner yesterday to make one big table. To all, this was a big step in coming together as new friends. Scott talked about all the times gathering around a table comes up in the bible—the passover, the feast of unleavened bread, and of course the last supper. The table seems to be a place to gather and heal from the pains of the day. While this included our dinner table, another table is familiar to many on this team: the surgery table. It’s a place to gather and practice the art of healing; a place where everyone—not just the patient—is healed.
The healing our doctors and nurses find in practicing their art doesn’t mean the tasks today were any easier. In OR 4 I heard Allison adjust to operating with a Guatemalan scrub-tech who didn’t understand a word she was saying. She quickly learned to ask for instruments by their spanish names. This example of an unexpected challenge added to her three already tough cases is exactly what Peter Hinckle aspires for when he says, “Our motto is teamwork and adaptability. ”
As the blogger on this trip (easily the most important role), I have no medical experience. My dad is one of the OBGYNs here and before one hysterectomy today, he called me over. He asked me to hold the patient’s hand as she fell asleep. As I held gently, I spoke to her with what little Spanish I know. I learned her name is Maria-Paula, and that while she has no children, she has two older siblings and two younger siblings. I learned that her older brother Julio is staying with her at Casa De Fe, and that she was “un poquito” when I asked “¿Estás nerviosa?” I didn’t know enough Spanish to reassure her very well, but I rubbed her hand and we kept talking. Soon Ashley’s anesthesia kicked in and Maria-Paula fell fast asleep. The operation then went wonderfully and I was able to talk to her (and meet her brother Julio!) in the ward later. Throughout the day, that moment holding this sweet little lady’s hand has struck me more and more. It was like devotion this morning. Maria-Paula was healed on the surgery table, and as she held my hand, a little piece of me healed too.
-Ben Calvert
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