Long Overdue...

The last few months at Damien House have been pretty exciting!  A medical group from the U.S. recently visited Guayaquil to perform hip and foot procedures for kids from across the country in need of reconstructive surgery.  It was a very incredible week!  The group performed about 6 to 7 surgeries each day.  I got to help a bit with pre-op translating between the doctors and Spanish-speaking patients, and I was able to observe several of the procedures as well.  Being in the operating room and being able to observe the procedures was exciting, and I continue to feel a lot confirmation in pursuing my studies in medicine next year.  I am very thankful to the surgical team for all their insight and patience in answering all my questions!  

Perhaps the most rewarding part of the week, however, was the time I had to spend with the young patients and their families both before and after surgery.  I had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary young children, many of whom have endured the long hours of waiting in pre-op several times before.  Many of the kids were excited to have visitors and were eager to hear about where we lived and what we did in the U.S.  I was excited to learn more about the kids and hear their stories.  After 2 months of struggling through Spanish, it was encouraging to be able to carry on a conversation with these kids.  The families were very welcoming and looked forward to us coming back each day.  Once again, this week showed me the importance of a ministry of presence.  The next week, I got to help translate and sit in on consultations for patients in need of the nerve decompression surgeries due to Hansen's Disease.  The small medical group that traveled to Damien House from the U.S. saw upwards of 40 patients each day, many of whom had traveled several hours from the countryside to be tested.  One elderly woman had traveled on a bus from eastern Ecuador for over 24 hours.  I learned how to test manually for nerve damage in both the arms and legs.  Our sensory perception tests from the past 2 months were helpful, and I hope that continuing to test the patients will be beneficial for the group when they return next year to perform the surgeries.  

On an unrelated note, thank you to everybody for the birthday wishes!  I got to spend the first part of the day at Damien with the med group, and the afternoon was spent in the community with neighbors.  My community mates even made me an ice cream cake—awesome!  Thankful for the challenges and simple joys I find each day at Damien!  In the last month, I have had the chance to reflect and write a bit more about my experiences here (which means more blog posts to come as soon as I can get the ''writing'' transferred to the computer!).  Thank you all for your support through this journey..talk soon!