The morning bus prepares to
depart, full of our traveling tubs
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Day 6 -- El Carmen, When the Saints Go Marching In |
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When
the Saints, go marching in Sister Grace led our morning reflection, reminding us that Jesus had said that wherever two or more are gathered in his name, he was also present with them. Also reminded us that Jesus was a healer, and that he sent his disciples into the world to continue that ministry. The connection to our work seemed like a straight line. |
| We awoke at 5:00 a.m. each day, enough time to shower (or dump water on your head, depending on the mood of the pipes), eat breakfast, and pack tubs of medications and supplies for the day. We departed at 6:30 a.m., would arrive at roughly 8:00 a.m. in the village, and would setup the Pharmacy and clinic rooms by 8:30 or so. We'd then work until 5:00, with the Pharmacy typically open late until 5:30, and then pack all the tubs back up and get on the bus by 6:00 p.m.. Back home by 7:00, time for dinner and a shower (unless your name was Glen, which meant the running water would stop), and heading toward bed by 9:00 or 10:00. |
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The cooperation required to pull off our daily traveling medicine show was quite impressive. I've read books on teamwork, I work on what I consider the best team I've ever seen (Web Services), but this group was as amazing as any I've witnessed--especially considering that we all met each other for the first time at the airport in Seattle. A quick synopsis of the players (I think of them as Saints): |
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Kathy
Garcia: the state-side mission coordinator, I saw Kathy
as the calm in the eye of the storm. She not only worked as the
assistant in the Pediatric clinic each day, but was constantly pestered
with questions and requests from the rest of us (particularly the novices
like me). She would quite often come into the Pharmacy to get a
certain medication or supply, and be as calm as could be -- even if the
situation was actually an emergency. And when I think of all the
details she must have attended to in coordinating a group this size in a
foreign country, it makes my head hurt.
Kathy is pictured to the left with a young boy who came to the clinic in El Carmen alone -- waited for hours in line with no parents to see Lauren Herbert.
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| Rosario
(Charo)
Sanchez: pure energy here. Charo worked as the
translator for Ken Henderson and his crew, the ojos (eye) doctor.
While not exactly a morning person J,
by the time we arrived to setup our clinic each day, Charo hit the ground
running and never stopped. One of my tasks was to make rounds to
each room with a spray bottle in the afternoons -- Charo didn't simply
stand and get soaked, she always did a little pirouette dance to get the
full head and neck treatment!
I could never really get a good 'still' photo of Charo, because she never really sat still the whole time we were there. Her energy and commitment were quite contagious, as well as her compassion -- demonstrated in the photo to the right with the blind woman suffering from Marfan's Syndrome. |
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Kalpna
Thuraisamy: I'll always remember Kalpna as being so
human, so caring, searching for meaning and the correct approach to the
problems of the day. And quite the easy subject to photograph, with
a smile that lights up a room.
Of the hundreds of photographs I took on this trip, there were a handful that really struck me as capturing the spirit of PazSalud. Kalpna was in 2 of those -- the one published from Day 4 in El Espino, and the one pictured here to the left. Mom, baby, and PazSalud doctor -- doesn't get any better than this.
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| Elizabeth
Gonzalez: working as a translator for Kalpna and Jenny,
Elizabeth did double duty in a room where there were at least two patients
and often more. I saw her as full of life, in all its forms --
humor, energy, sadness, caring. Coming from Puerto Rico, she's also
an Alex Rodriguez fan (you pick up these important details over Pupusa
dinner) -- my son was lucky enough to get A-Rod's autograph a couple
years ago at Safeco Field, so we shared a bit of a connection there.
The photo to the right isn't necessarily my best picture of Elizabeth, but I loved the spirit that shows through -- slipping some skin and sharing a smile with another satisfied customer. |
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Julie
Iverson: I sincerely enjoyed the brief moments I had to
spend with Julie, picking up on the details of the day and her perspective
on the mission as a whole. She was always up, positive, and
energetic -- very committed not only to her patients but anyone else
around. Every time she walked in the Pharmacy, she was a life saver
as we struggled to know the difference between Vermox, Cipro, Ceftin, and
all the other drugs (although I must say, by Friday we were almost
knowledgeable enough to be scary). At the end of one draining day,
after her area was closed, Julie jumped into the General Medicine room and
performed a surgery on an elderly woman's badly infected leg -- the type
of effort I saw consistently throughout the week.
Again, not necessarily my 'best' picture of Julie to the left, but we laughed about this one during the week -- and agreed on the title that appears under the photo. |
| Gina
Chastain: a nurse practitioner by trade, Gina works with
Julie in Bellingham and was her partner in El Salvador as well. Gina
was just steady as a rock all week long, grinding it out day after day.
Seemed like a consummate pro from where I sat.
I had a lot of sympathy for the OB/GYN folks all week long -- they typically had to hang black plastic from ceiling to floor for privacy in their 'rooms'. This helped heat things up as though baking a turkey each day. Gina and Julie took Daysi under their wing and let her work in her area of interest for her coming career -- the shot of them to the right shows a brief celebration at the end of our work in El Carmen. |
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Lauren
Herbert: I was struck all week at Lauren's complete focus
and devotion to each and every individual patient that she saw. Even
with hordes of people roaming everywhere, noise coming through the open
windows, and lines that went on forever, Lauren made sure that each person
she saw got everything she had to give. Knows Spanish too, which I
certainly appreciate at a whole new level after this week. She also
brought her two kids on this trip, Forrest 9, and Maia, 7. Can't
imagine the life lessons reflected upon as those heads hit the pillow each
night at the Guest House.
The photo to the left shows the whole family -- Forrest had just snuck up behind Mom and hit her with the spray bottle -- surprise! |
| Mie
Curtis: Mie (pronounced "Mee-uh") struck me as
the ultimate support person of Ken, who she works for in Bellingham (along
with Jodi). I'll always remember her friendship with everyone on
this trip, and the help and coordination she provided in what could be a
chaotic optometry room at times. And by the end of the week, Charo
had her doing the spray bottle dance pretty well!
I asked her to pose with the boy to the right, mostly because the kid had the Web Services Team mascot on his shirt. |
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Jodi Pilkey: another of Ken's assistants (both in Bellingham and El Salvador), Jodi played the role of selecting prescription glasses for those that needed them. Fun loving and very friendly, she was a hit with all her patients. And she got to share her sparkling smile with her patients as they took pride in their new possession--it was curious to us all week that as happy as the Salvadoran's were to get a new pair of glasses, they never wore them as they walked away. Always took them off, returned them to their pouch, and clutched them in their hands as they left. |
| Ken
Henderson: geez, did the guy whine once the entire trip?
I think not! The circumstances were so imperfect for the work Ken
had to do (e.g. would normally be in a darkroom), but he seemed to thrive
on the whole situation. His rooms were generally the hottest as
well, as black plastic would be draped to make the room as dark as
possible for eye examinations. On Friday, the last day of the
brigade, Ken saw 101 patients. Not knowing the context, I asked what
a typical day in the states would be. His answer:
"usually, 12-14 patients a day. On a crazy-busy day, maybe
22". 'Nuff said.
During the entire week, I got him to stop working 1 time to pose for a picture -- just happened to be twins in the room at the time. |
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Jenny Pflug: an MD from Longview, Jenny struck me as being completely
focused and concerned with every condition for every patient. Her eyes
were almost piercing as she listened to each and every story. In fact, we
joked about how serious she always looked in my pictures, when in fact
she's one of the most cheerful doctors you'll ever meet!
The photo to the left was one of the handful of 'great' pictures we got during the week -- the eyes tell the story. Jenny is her normal focused self, while the patient (who wasn't feeling so well) can't hide those Salvadoran eyes. |
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David Lynch: the saying that comes to mind is 'when in Rome, do as the
Romans do'. David seemed to relish every cultural experience we ran into,
and dove into the local customs with glee. The photo to the right is a good
illustration: the patient--a 74-year old man--had just left his work in the fields
to come to
the clinic, and was carrying his tool with him--a machete. David seized
the opportunity to examine this instrument, testing it for weight, balance, and
the effect on the man's hands (I’m sure it wasn't just an excuse to wave a
machete around).
Forever more, for me, David is known as "Señor David". |
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Tisch Lynch: Tisch is an RN by trade, and spent the majority of her time
during this brigade in the Pharmacy, where she was indispensable (little
pharmacy humor there). My memories of Tisch will be her gliding from table
to table searching for the drugs to fill a script, just going and going until
the end of the day. This was exhausting work, on your feet moving all day
long in 90+ degree heat and humidity, often times with several people at the
counter all talking at the same time, etc, etc. I think we all
walked away with a new appreciation for the role of the Pharmacist.
Every once in awhile, Tisch was called upon to administer medicine to those visiting the Pharmacy, and she seemed to really enjoy those opportunities -- the photo to the left shows her giving some children's Tylenol to a pediatric patient.
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Sister Grace: the energizer bunny comes to mind -- just keeps going and
going and going. The thing I love most about Sister Grace is that it's all
about the doing -- getting the job done, doing work, making a real difference.
She served primarily as the 'front desk' person in the Pharmacy, as our Spanish-speaking expert,
and as such had to
deal with the crowds at the front table. Her skills made such a difference
throughout the entire week, as the Pharmacy was the center of attention in
many ways.
I loved the picture to the right -- the patient was a 94-year old woman who needed nothing more than some multi-vitamins. |
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 Maia: Lauren's 7 year old daughter, was just hard to believe what a trooper she was. She didn’t just accompany us, but actually worked and helped get things done both in the Pharmacy and her Mom's pediatric room (although you wouldn't know it from this goofy picture!). Didn't hear a peep or complaint out of her the entire week. And what a smile! |
 Forrest: Lauren's other child, a 9 year old son. Must be in the genes, Forrest was equally as impressive as his sister. Shadowed me a couple days on my picture taking rounds, and got a chance behind the camera once as well. Was a great helper all week long in the Pharmacy, filling prescriptions, helping organize and fill baggies with vitamins and aspirin, etc. |
| Silke: Julie's 7 year old daughter. I'll always remember Silke as the runner and the entertainer. The Salvadoran kids seemed to love her bright blond hair, so different than their own -- I have a couple pictures like this one where kids were reaching out to touch it. Silke was also an invaluable helper running messages and errands between the Pharmacy and her Mom's gynecological room. When I think of the ages of these kids and how they held up during the week, it's just incredible. |  |
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Sister Eleanor: how long does that sainthood process take? |
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As I reflected on the team of people described above, it struck me how vital each and every individual was. Quite literally, it was hard to imagine how the rooms would have functioned if any one person had gotten sick or not been able to be there. Delivering healthcare is definitely a team process, and that struck me as a lesson learned to keep in mind back home -- each of us in our different roles plays a critical part in the health of our patients. Served as a good reminder to be re-committed to whatever our role happens to be--we all help the Sisters with their mission. Well, I guess there was too much to say on this day -- I'm splitting this installment into two pieces. For more on our day in El Carmen, please continue to Part 2.
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