Day 4, February 12, 2018, “The Clinic Opens”

Moises is a young man of 30 who suffers from Down Syndrome.  Although he can walk, it hurts and he stays in bed for days.  His mother, who is aging, has brought him to the center for a wheel chair.  Before fitting him in a chair, several of the physical therapy staff watch him and discuss his case. He has a stick which he uses as a cane. Not wanting him to be completely dependent on the wheel chair, they give him a cane which will help him walk short distances.  Then they bring over a wheel chair and have Moises sit in it.  He smiles as the staff fit the chair to his needs.  As they do, they also stress with the mother the need for him to do some walking and how she can make his feet feel better when he is in the chair. When she pushes him out of the room, there is a big smile on both of their faces.  

Isidro was born with a club foot and has cerebral parsley.  He never had therapy and in time he has lost the use of his good leg as it has never developed. Now his father, who is devoted to him, must moves him around. Because of his leg issues, the physical therapy staff adapt a chair for him, one that has straps to hold him securely in place. When they bring the chair over, his father picks him by hugging him and places him into the chair.  The staff make adjustments to the chair, informing the father about how to adapt the church for Isidro’s needs. It will be much easier for him to move Isidro around with this new chair.

These chairs have been especially designed for use in a rough terrain. The large tires are wide and resemble a bicycle tire.  Each chair comes with a pump for the tire, a repair kit and a wrench to allow them the ability to change the positions of the pads. Each chair comes in a flat box from the manufacturer in China and are assembled onsite by a team of volunteers.

After Isidro is fitted, Marta is brought into the clinic by her devoted husband and beautiful granddaughter.  She suffers from diabetes which resulted in her loss of a leg four months ago.  After the amputation, she was given one crutch to use to get around. But recently, she has been having seizures and falling. Originally it was through she should have a walker, but the doctor feels that is too dangerous, so he orders a wheel chair.  As she waits, she has another seizure and the doctor is called back in and examines her. He orders an EKG, wanting to rule out a cardiac event before prescribing anti-seizure medicine. They quickly find a wheel chair that fits and a volunteer rushes her to the EKG room. She thanks everyone as she leaves.  The thankfulness can also been seen in her husband and granddaughter’s faces. She will have to come back to have the chair fitted. 

We arrived in El Avocado a little before 8 AM.  The morning started with devotions at 5:30 AM and then breakfast.  We were on the bus for the trip by 7 AM.  I’m sitting next to Juan, one of the Faith in Practice in-country volunteers.  I’m surprised to learn he’s from Ohio.  His parents were Mexican, so he could understand Spanish but wasn’t a native speaker.  His daughter came to Guatemala as a missionary. In 2012, he came to Guatemala with a donated van for the mission, volunteering to drive it down from the states.  As a carpenter, he shut down his business and took a month off. When he arrived, he was asked if he could take over a carpentry training program for six months in order to give the current director enough time to travel back to the states for a break. He said he’d pray about it and found God telling him to stay. He has lived in Guatemala ever since.  While down here, he learned that his tools in Ohio were stolen, but then the mission organization decided to cease operations and gave him the tools, allowing him to support himself in Guatemala.  He regularly volunteers to help mission teams and have experienced miracles and healings over the past six years.  

Crowd waiting

Upon arrival, there is a long line of folks waiting to enter the clinic. Across from the school yard are a variety of vendors cooking and selling food to those who have traveled here for the mission. The team members gather where we are treated by Padre Juan Luis, the local parish priest.  I’m surprised he is dressed with a button up shirt and slacks and is wearing no collar.  He says this is because he thinks the collar separates him from the people. He welcomes us, we pray, and soon there are people being allowed inside the school yard that serves as our clinic.   

Dr. Fernando

After lunch I spend a hour in the medical clinic shadowing Dr. Fernando.  His first patient is Maura, a woman of 39. She is the mother of six children who range from the age of 22 to a toddler, who’s with her this morning.  She complains of aches and sore arms.  When asked about her work, she tells of hauling wood into the house which seems to explain her problems. 

Dr. Fernando and Anteline

The next patient for Dr. Fernando is Anteline, a 59 year cowboy.  He’s wearing a straw cowboy hat, long sleeve shirt, jeans and wide leather belt with a large silver buckle that has a bronze horse head embedded in the middle.  He complains of joint pains and stomach problems.  While he is given medicine for the joints, the doctor doesn’t want to give him too much as it would cause more stomach issues.  Juan steps in next.  He’s 85 years old and is complaining of knee pain and blurry eyesight. His blood pressure is 185/93. The doctor asks him over and over about taking the blood pressure medicine he’s on.  He says he has been taking it.  Since he has access to a clinic, Dr. Fernando suggests that he see the clinic next week and, if his blood pressure is still up to have the doctor there increase his dosage.  

Next to Dr. Fernando is Dr. Colm. He’s talking with Miguel, a fit-looking 54 year old man.  Having had enlarged prostrate issues, Miguel was fitted with a catheter six months ago. Fearing that he would not be able to urinate if he removed it, it has remained inside of him since it was placed.  Dr. Colm refers him to a urologist with transportation being arranged by Faith in Practice.  

Dr. Margaret is on the other side of the room.  She just saw a woman with ringing in her ears.  She had her sent to the audiology clinic where she was checked for hearing issues.  They can’t find any cause and, as Dr. Margaret explains, there is no cure for such symptoms which may indicate issues with the nerves in the ear going bad. She tells of of a neighbor who found listening to classical music as a way to easy to pain and to take his mind off the problem, but knowing the woman probably don’t have access to such music, gives her Tylenol, suggesting she take one or two tablets before bed, hoping it would ease the pain enough to allow her to sleep. “What makes our work interesting is how we have to constantly improvise,” Dr. Margaret confesses.

We pack up at 4 PM and by 5 are back at our hotel in Jalapa.