Hello again everyone,
We just finished up another very long but satisfying day of work in the clinics at Flores Costa Cuca. Devotionals began once again at 5:30am, followed by a delicious breakfast, then everyone on to the bus by 6:50am. Unfortunately some traffic slowed the journey to the village, but after about an hour and a half we were off the bus and into the clinics, immediately shepherding in patients.
Yesterday there were few patients for pediatrics, but today it seems the babies all decided to show up together, and it was quite a delight to see all their adorable faces. Tanna Vayon, PA, has been switching between pediatrics and general medicine depending on how the flow goes. She shared that this can be a lot of work, because things never really slow down for her, but she likes staying busy and she likes the constant change.
When I popped into the laboratory today to take some photographs, I saw that a patient was deep in conversation with our lab tech, Colin. This was surprising because Colin arrived in Guatemala speaking basically no Spanish. Now, just two days into clinical work, he has mastered all the phrases necessary to collect blood and urine samples and send his patients back to where they need to go. Sometimes this gives patients the impression that he knows more Spanish than he really does, so they strike up a conversation and are undeterred when he tells them “no entiendo.” I jumped in to ask what his patient was saying, and he told me that he was just telling his new friend (Colin) about the work he does as a mail carrier, driving all around Guatemala. They were both happy that I was able to relay this information, but even without understanding each other, then had already become “amigos” before I arrived.
Sometime in the early afternoon, Ana Garcia from the VIA Cryo clinic flagged me down, along with Team Leader Linda Johnson and Pastor Andy Gans. Since Ana often finds cases of advanced cervical cancer in her clinic, I thought this was bad news. But to all our delight, when Ana pulled back the curtain in her clinic, we found a woman standing and smiling before us without any apparent ailment. Indeed, we soon learned that she had been a patient with FIP in the past, and that this organization had diagnosed and helped her get through cervical cancer, including 25 radiation treatments in Antigua until she was declared cancer-free. She was extremely grateful to FIP for potentially saving her life Andy led a prayer with us to ask for her continued health and happiness, and she will remain in our thoughts.
Meanwhile in the mobility clinic, patients kept pouring in all day. A pair of sisters, aged 44 and 42, both arrived seeking wheelchairs because both had cerebral palsy. Their parents accompanied them and clearly took very good care of their daughters. They were both extremely excited to see the doctor and were full of smiles and blew kisses to all the people around. Another man arrived on a gurney—not necessarily because he was extremely ill, but because this was the best way for the family to transport him. It was certainly easier than carrying an adult man (which we also see from time to time).
The pharmacy is always buzzing with activity as soon as the first patients complete their visits to the clinics. They not only hand out medications, but also reading glasses for patients that need some extra help with activities like sewing or (of course) reading. We have a limited number of magnifying strengths, but patients usually try on all the different options until they can find just the right pair for what they need. Patients are always very grateful to receive what is usually their first pair of glasses, and we wish we could offer specialized prescriptions to everyone that needs it. The same applies to our supply of medications: we have everything available to treat the most common ailments, but of course many patients need specialized mixtures of medicine if they have complicated medical issues. The pharmacists sometimes have to prepare suspensions by hand or substitute the preferred medication for another, but they do their best in every case. After preparing these items, someone in the pharmacy team then takes time to talk to each patient about what the medications are for and how to take them properly. Some of the healthier patients leave with nothing but a supply of vitamins, but others need a bag to carry all their new supplies home. In many cases, a caretaker is in charge of collecting and administering medications, especially for elderly patients. Usually these caretakers are family members, but sometimes they are friends and neighbors. One woman accompanied her elderly neighbor all the way to the clinic today because his own family was not able to take care of him. We thanked her for bringing him to our clinic.
After another long day of work, we finally wrapped up around 5pm, then had to reload all the trunks and remaining supplies like wheelchairs back onto a truck for transport to our next village site. This is a tough task at the end of a physically exhausting day, but with many team members and local volunteers pitching in, the process goes quickly. We also had a bit of time to take our first full group photo together, including local volunteers and FIP staff, and then ended the day with a group prayer by Pastor Andy. Dr. Johnson invited people to share something they were thankful for and received many responses, including the patience and friendliness of the patience, the untiring assistance of the local volunteers, our chef Hector for serving us delicious meals, a local volunteer named Carlos who kept the bathrooms clean for us (no small task for a rural school with bucket-flushing and no running water in the sinks!), the security guards for keeping us safe, the weather for not getting too hot or raining too much, and so many other things.
Check back tomorrow as we head to our next village clinic site. Thanks to all of you for reading along, and a loving shout out to FIP volunteer Char Schumann and Dr. Dash’s parents!
Josie
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