So, most of us are home now. Amanda, Josh, and Maddie are now in the Galapagos (jealous) and Savannah has to drive to Seattle. Otherwise, no more travel. I am happy to flush toilet paper and take a very hot, long shower.
Just wanted to let everyone know we made it back!
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Friday, August 7, 2015
The Story of My Life
Yesterday we had a crazy day packed with adventures. Some of
us went horseback riding, others went biking, 4-wheeling, or the zoo.
After our morning activities, we went on a tour of the
waterfalls. This is the same path that Alicia and I biked two years ago. We
stopped at different locations to take pictures, ride cable cars, and zip line.
Oh, we also stopped to hike down to a waterfall. Savannah and I stood under the
waterfall. It was freezing but
amazing!!!
Today we will be making the long drive to Quito. We will be
going to the market before jumping onto the plane.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Baños
A nice day to relax. We slept in, loaded the bus, and said goodbye to our amazing cooks, cleaners, and friends.
The bus ride to Baños was foggy but uneventful!
For lunch we had a HUGE meal. It was all Ecuadorian style; delicious as you would image. Ugg, I think I only ate half the food on my plate. If you have ever eaten with me, then you know I always clean my plate. Always.
About half of our group went to the spa this afternoon. Pool, hot tub, sauna, steam box (for Katty and Savannah), massages (for all), mani/pedi (for some), and waxing (for some). It was great! I'm sure that horseback riding tomorrow will kill all of the relaxation my muscles just underwent!
On our way to dinner our spa group had the chance to try canelazo caña. Canelazo caña is a regional drink made from sugar cane, alcohol (from fermented sugar cane), lemon, sugar and cinnamon. Pretty delicious.
After another huge meal we wandered the city. Being out of a major city center, Baños is refreshing. The air is clean and fresh!
The bus ride to Baños was foggy but uneventful!
For lunch we had a HUGE meal. It was all Ecuadorian style; delicious as you would image. Ugg, I think I only ate half the food on my plate. If you have ever eaten with me, then you know I always clean my plate. Always.
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| The Spa |
On our way to dinner our spa group had the chance to try canelazo caña. Canelazo caña is a regional drink made from sugar cane, alcohol (from fermented sugar cane), lemon, sugar and cinnamon. Pretty delicious.
After another huge meal we wandered the city. Being out of a major city center, Baños is refreshing. The air is clean and fresh!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Clínica Terminada
The last day in clinic for the trip. As expected it was a crazy day. We saw 177 people today and turned no one away! We did run out of a few meds and sunglasses, but it true EMM fashion we made it work.
There are a lot of dirty ears here. There seemed to be a constant waiting line at the ear wash station. Since today was mostly families, we would load their ears up with lactulose while we were still seeing their other family members before sending them into the lineup. Even with excessive soaking in lactulose, there were a lot of people who's ear plugs would not budge. Yuck. Lets be honest, the smell isn't that great either. Yesterday I smelled this smell, I thought it was me. I was so weirded out because I shouldn't smell that bad; seriously, I shower every day. It was my otoscope.... sick.
I gave my first intra-articular injection today. Pretty awesome. Dr. Hall is a phenomenal teacher. He also has a great deal of trust in letting me do something like that with zero experience (with joint injections that is).
In total we have seen close to 500 patients in our time here. That is so many people!!!! So many that have gone for too long without medical care. So many that have gone too long without being loved on. What an amazing experience and what a blessing!
I can't wait to see the impact this trip will make on these communities. After seeing the change in Pachancho, it is exciting to see what will come next for Alao, Cebadas, and Calpi.
On the way home a few of us took a pit stop at Katty's new place. It is so cool! She has a nice hunk of land, with walls that are almost totally finished. And the view!! Holy cow, it is stunning! I am so proud of my nana!!!
Jaunito, one of our veteran translators, sang a couple of songs for us. He is an aspiring rapper here in Ecuador. In years past he has been a bit timid about singing for even a small group of us. Tonight, he volunteered and sang in front of the entire group. It was fantastic!
We had to say goodbye to a few of our military friends. Most will be coming with us to Baños for some R&R.
There are a lot of dirty ears here. There seemed to be a constant waiting line at the ear wash station. Since today was mostly families, we would load their ears up with lactulose while we were still seeing their other family members before sending them into the lineup. Even with excessive soaking in lactulose, there were a lot of people who's ear plugs would not budge. Yuck. Lets be honest, the smell isn't that great either. Yesterday I smelled this smell, I thought it was me. I was so weirded out because I shouldn't smell that bad; seriously, I shower every day. It was my otoscope.... sick.
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| Our most hadsome patient of the day |
I gave my first intra-articular injection today. Pretty awesome. Dr. Hall is a phenomenal teacher. He also has a great deal of trust in letting me do something like that with zero experience (with joint injections that is).
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| Like a pro |
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| My amazing translator Isaac teaching stretching |
On the way home a few of us took a pit stop at Katty's new place. It is so cool! She has a nice hunk of land, with walls that are almost totally finished. And the view!! Holy cow, it is stunning! I am so proud of my nana!!!
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| Katty's land and the wall |
We had to say goodbye to a few of our military friends. Most will be coming with us to Baños for some R&R.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Calpi... Only 15 Minutes Away
Our next and final village, Calpi (cal-pee). I must have misunderstood Miss Katty when she said how long it would take to get to this village. I heard fifty minutes; it was much closer to fifteen minutes. The short drive was very nice. Again, we had a wonderful set up, with pharmacy, lab, and clinic all in one spot.
Most everyone patient we saw today was geriatric (old). As with most things geriatric, each patient took quite a bit of time. I don't think we quite made it into the 100's, but everyone we saw was pretty sick. Lots of infections of all different kinds. There was always a constant line up at the ear washing. One poor woman had three sessions of lactulose (to loosen the wax), water (to flush it out), and scrapping (for everything that still hasn't made its way out) and you still couldn't see her ear drum!!! Savannah loaded her up with lactulose and a cotton ball for an overnight soaking. Hopefully, by the morning things will have loosed a bit.
A lot more of the people in this village have access to pharmacies, which is a great thing, but it makes everything a bit tricky. Its complicated because they are taking medications but they do not know what the name of the medication is or even what they are taking it for. The other tricky thing we encountered with patients having access (or "kind of" access as I like to call it) to health care, is that they have possible diagnosis's that a doctor told them they might have:
"A doctor says I have hypertension" Patient shows us blood pressure reading from the last 6months, all normal.
"Are you on medications?"
"No"
"I have diabetes"
"Why do you think you have diabetes"
"A doctor say I have diabetes"
"Did you have any tests done? Any blood glucose readings?"
"No"
Other times, just like in the U.S., it can be pretty comical the things people come up with for what is causing their ailments:
"My liver is swollen"
"Why do you think your liver is swollen"
"Because I have back pain and my knees hurt. And, so does my head"
"I need reading glasses"
"Can you read this without glasses"
"Yes, but I need reading glasses"
Hahahahahah!
After dinner tonight, the Pastor's wife from Alao (Village 1) came to share her story with us. Her family has faced persecution, abuse, and rejection. Over time things have changed, the communities and people that once persecuted them now accept them. In fact, some of those people were the first people in line for clinic when we went to Alao. It was an amazing story! She also sang us a beautiful song after her moving story.
Tomorrow we will be seeing mostly kiddos and families. It should be crazy day!
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| Checking out X-ray's a patient brought in |
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| The poor woman with the impacted ear |
A lot more of the people in this village have access to pharmacies, which is a great thing, but it makes everything a bit tricky. Its complicated because they are taking medications but they do not know what the name of the medication is or even what they are taking it for. The other tricky thing we encountered with patients having access (or "kind of" access as I like to call it) to health care, is that they have possible diagnosis's that a doctor told them they might have:
"A doctor says I have hypertension" Patient shows us blood pressure reading from the last 6months, all normal.
"Are you on medications?"
"No"
"I have diabetes"
"Why do you think you have diabetes"
"A doctor say I have diabetes"
"Did you have any tests done? Any blood glucose readings?"
"No"
Other times, just like in the U.S., it can be pretty comical the things people come up with for what is causing their ailments:
"My liver is swollen"
"Why do you think your liver is swollen"
"Because I have back pain and my knees hurt. And, so does my head"
"I need reading glasses"
"Can you read this without glasses"
"Yes, but I need reading glasses"
Hahahahahah!
After dinner tonight, the Pastor's wife from Alao (Village 1) came to share her story with us. Her family has faced persecution, abuse, and rejection. Over time things have changed, the communities and people that once persecuted them now accept them. In fact, some of those people were the first people in line for clinic when we went to Alao. It was an amazing story! She also sang us a beautiful song after her moving story.
Tomorrow we will be seeing mostly kiddos and families. It should be crazy day!
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| Selfie! I look extra pale next to the beautiful brown skin |
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Day of Rest
No clinic work today. Today we slept in and heard Katty's story. Her story is so moving and powerful.
We had an opportunity to explore Riobamba a bit. We went to the market and to a number of touristy shops. The market was full of fruits, fish, meat, and clothing. It was fun to see all of the colors, but maybe not so nice to smell all the smells (like "aged" meat). A few of us purchased alpaca blankets, coats, and sweaters. I know my Sis will be thrilled with that... She always is mocking me for my alpaca coat and my clown pants. I'm getting her a pair :)
We had an opportunity to explore Riobamba a bit. We went to the market and to a number of touristy shops. The market was full of fruits, fish, meat, and clothing. It was fun to see all of the colors, but maybe not so nice to smell all the smells (like "aged" meat). A few of us purchased alpaca blankets, coats, and sweaters. I know my Sis will be thrilled with that... She always is mocking me for my alpaca coat and my clown pants. I'm getting her a pair :)
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Cebadas The Village of Many Patients
Today was a short one hour ride to Cebadas. There was already a line of people waiting for us. So many kids came running up to give each of us a big hug. Melts my heart!
It was a great set up. Everything was located in one place. We saw 200 people in our eight hours. There were 14 people who did not get to be seen, but they did get vitamins and deworming medication.
The kidos in this village were sicker than in Pachancho. A lot more cavities and infections. There were also a few crazy cases that I saw today. One of my patients had a double eye infection. By the way, eyes really gross me out! Both eyes were covered in puss, red, and drooping heavily due to the infection. It started over three years ago. Her right eye, just a shriveled mass. I nearly threw up. The gag and aim technique came into play. The other eye was also severely infected with scaring over the cornea.
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| Byron's tag was bothering him... Naturally, Anitia cut it off while he was still driving |
It was a great set up. Everything was located in one place. We saw 200 people in our eight hours. There were 14 people who did not get to be seen, but they did get vitamins and deworming medication.
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| Isaac teaching a little girl how to use a tooth brush... Cutest thing ever |
Friday, July 31, 2015
Change In Plans
Spanish for Gringo's by Miss Katty. I had a four hour Spanish lesson today (two on the way up and two on the way back). Unfortunately, I don't think my Spanish has improved much. Katty did get a lot of laughs in.
We had planned on two more days in Pachancho, however, when we showed up and only 10 people were waiting to be seen, plans changed. More people came throughout the day. We saw approximately 60 people, but will not be going back tomorrow.
I had a new translator today, Isaac, who was amazing! His first time translating for medical. He didn't bat an eye at the questions I had him ask and things that we had to do. One of my favorite parts of these trips is getting to show/teach the translators and non-medical people something new. It's fun to explain how I got to the conclusion that I came to and fun to show them things like my ear drum (and the dinosaurs that live in my right ear per Daniel).
We were able to tell a young woman that she was pregnant with her first child. Kim explained to her the whole process, educated her one nutrition, and gave her condoms. It was a fun and very educational experience for all involved!
In previous trips shoes were one of the clinics that we provided for the children. There are multiple groups that work with One Heart Global Ministries that have shoes as their primary focus, so, we no longer bring shoes. There were a few suitcases of shoes left over in the U.S.A that got brought and a few bags that we had previously left at Kattys house. Many of those extras were distributed today in Pachancho. It is always fun to see the beaming faces of kiddos up here getting shoes that fit.
On the way back to Riobamba we caught Chimborazo without clouds. The wind was howling (understatement). Please don't mind the wild hair.
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| Military, Doctor, and Translator |
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| Ladies of the village with Katty |
We had planned on two more days in Pachancho, however, when we showed up and only 10 people were waiting to be seen, plans changed. More people came throughout the day. We saw approximately 60 people, but will not be going back tomorrow.
I had a new translator today, Isaac, who was amazing! His first time translating for medical. He didn't bat an eye at the questions I had him ask and things that we had to do. One of my favorite parts of these trips is getting to show/teach the translators and non-medical people something new. It's fun to explain how I got to the conclusion that I came to and fun to show them things like my ear drum (and the dinosaurs that live in my right ear per Daniel).
We were able to tell a young woman that she was pregnant with her first child. Kim explained to her the whole process, educated her one nutrition, and gave her condoms. It was a fun and very educational experience for all involved!
In previous trips shoes were one of the clinics that we provided for the children. There are multiple groups that work with One Heart Global Ministries that have shoes as their primary focus, so, we no longer bring shoes. There were a few suitcases of shoes left over in the U.S.A that got brought and a few bags that we had previously left at Kattys house. Many of those extras were distributed today in Pachancho. It is always fun to see the beaming faces of kiddos up here getting shoes that fit.
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| Fitting Shoes |
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| Chimborazo In All Her Glory Until next time Pachancho |
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Pachancho and Ecuadorian Vampires
P.S. From Yesterday: With all the rain and mud in Alao, walking around the village was a little tricky. Even the military struggled to stay unmuddy. On they way out, Madison, Amanda, and Iulia stopped at the snack stand (selling cookies and lollie pops). Well, when they stopped Madison did not. She took out the table, scratched Amanda on the neck, and covered herself in mud. It looks like Amanda was bitten by an Ecuadorian vampire.
Pachancho
Elevation 14,000 ft
This village is a two hour drive from Riobamba. A much less eventful drive; no cliffs and mud. It is windy, cold, and windy, and cold.... We drive by the beautiful Chimborazo. Chimborazo volcano is Ecuador's highest active volcano and the highest in the Northern Andean Volcanic Zone. We did not get to see this beast on the way up due to clouds, but did catch a glimpse or two on the way back down. There is a protected species of lama type animals called vicunas that hang around the base of Chimborazo. They look like a cross between a deer and a lama. They are super cute!
We made it most of the way to the village before we had to take a pit stop. There was a truck right in the middle of the one lane (that's a bit generous to even consider it that) gravel road. How many military men/women does it take to fix a car? Seven. It takes seven to fix a broken town truck.... or just push it to the side of the road so that we could pass. I am actually not totally sure if they truck was fixed by our guys, but it wasn't there on our way home tonight.
It is so much fun to see the progress that this village is making. I have had the pleasure of going each of my trips to Ecuador. Each year they seem to grow! My first time in Pachancho (the second year One Heart Global Ministries had been in this community), people were very sick, ears stuffed full of wax, teeth rotting, church nonexistent. In fact, they had run the pastor out of town. Now, they are in the process of building a community center/church. Construction should be complete by October. We saw very few bad teeth. We had almost no ear washing; in the past it was rare to NOT have a patient skip ear washing. And, most of the children we saw were truly "well child" checks. In the back of my mind I have always wondered if short term missions actually work. Can a week of work really change anything? Yes, yes it can. Pachancho is changing, every year I see the fruit of short term mission work.
In our short day we were still able to see 52 patients! Yea!!! That means tomorrow will be crazy. It was a lot of fun seeing people from last year in clinic again. There was one lady, whom Katty and I taught how to use condoms last year (a really funny story from last years blog if you can find it) that was back in clinic this year. Well, they either did not work too well or they ran out, because she is five months pregnant!
One of the things that the providers and pharmacists struggle with is leading questions and the answer yes. If you were to ask the patient if he/she has pain, the answer is yes. If you ask them if they have diarrhea or constipation, the answer is yes. If you ask them if their skin is green, the answer is yes. I was very surprised when I was palpating a patient back today, when I asked if it hurt she said, "nnnnoooo it feels good." That's the translated version of course. So, I gave this nice Ecuadorian lady a massage. I love when we can provide non-medical remedies for ailments in these villages, because what happens when the medications run out?
The pharmacy was rocking today. They had about half the space of the previous pharmacy. However, I think they were able to make it run even smoother than before!
Pachancho
Elevation 14,000 ft
This village is a two hour drive from Riobamba. A much less eventful drive; no cliffs and mud. It is windy, cold, and windy, and cold.... We drive by the beautiful Chimborazo. Chimborazo volcano is Ecuador's highest active volcano and the highest in the Northern Andean Volcanic Zone. We did not get to see this beast on the way up due to clouds, but did catch a glimpse or two on the way back down. There is a protected species of lama type animals called vicunas that hang around the base of Chimborazo. They look like a cross between a deer and a lama. They are super cute!
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| Vicunas |
We made it most of the way to the village before we had to take a pit stop. There was a truck right in the middle of the one lane (that's a bit generous to even consider it that) gravel road. How many military men/women does it take to fix a car? Seven. It takes seven to fix a broken town truck.... or just push it to the side of the road so that we could pass. I am actually not totally sure if they truck was fixed by our guys, but it wasn't there on our way home tonight.
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| Please Park Your Donkey Before Coming To Clinic |
It is so much fun to see the progress that this village is making. I have had the pleasure of going each of my trips to Ecuador. Each year they seem to grow! My first time in Pachancho (the second year One Heart Global Ministries had been in this community), people were very sick, ears stuffed full of wax, teeth rotting, church nonexistent. In fact, they had run the pastor out of town. Now, they are in the process of building a community center/church. Construction should be complete by October. We saw very few bad teeth. We had almost no ear washing; in the past it was rare to NOT have a patient skip ear washing. And, most of the children we saw were truly "well child" checks. In the back of my mind I have always wondered if short term missions actually work. Can a week of work really change anything? Yes, yes it can. Pachancho is changing, every year I see the fruit of short term mission work.
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| Children's Clinic |
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| Cold Conditions In Pachancho |
In our short day we were still able to see 52 patients! Yea!!! That means tomorrow will be crazy. It was a lot of fun seeing people from last year in clinic again. There was one lady, whom Katty and I taught how to use condoms last year (a really funny story from last years blog if you can find it) that was back in clinic this year. Well, they either did not work too well or they ran out, because she is five months pregnant!
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| Checking In For Clinic |
One of the things that the providers and pharmacists struggle with is leading questions and the answer yes. If you were to ask the patient if he/she has pain, the answer is yes. If you ask them if they have diarrhea or constipation, the answer is yes. If you ask them if their skin is green, the answer is yes. I was very surprised when I was palpating a patient back today, when I asked if it hurt she said, "nnnnoooo it feels good." That's the translated version of course. So, I gave this nice Ecuadorian lady a massage. I love when we can provide non-medical remedies for ailments in these villages, because what happens when the medications run out?
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| The Pachancho Pharmacy |
The pharmacy was rocking today. They had about half the space of the previous pharmacy. However, I think they were able to make it run even smoother than before!
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Mudslides
Day 2 in Alao
Today is my birthday! The ripe 'ol age of 27. To start the day off, Katty's sweet nephew brought me flowers in the shape of a dog. What a sweet little man!!!
We arrived to the village later than expected due to heavy rain in the night. As you would expect, the muddy roads became even muddies. It was a bit tricky. But, once again our amazing drivers got us to the village no problemo!
As we were setting up for clinic today, Alecita, one of our translators, grabbed me by the hand and dragged me into the clinic area. The military and translators lined up and sang some form of a birthday song. What a treat!
Clinic was not as busy as yesterday; we saw 52 patients in total. Multiple villages that had planned to come were unable to make it due to mudslides. I am telling you, I have no idea how the soil stays in place! The pictures and words cannot express the grandness of these hills. Have you seen Jurassic Park? I'm sure they could use this area for an alternate location if they needed one. Ayayay...
Although clinic was not as buys, we still had some rocking patients. Generally, the people are pretty healthy. Ears are fairly clean, teeth are mostly there (not mostly rotten per the usual. We had one lady in the beginning of the day, she complained of not being able to hear well out of her left ear, vision problems, and her back hurts. After a little digging I discovered she had experienced some head trauma a few years back. Head trauma like a big rock fell on her head. When I asked to look at it I could feel a divot the size of a silver dollar and about a half an inch deep. Holy crap. I have no idea how she survived that incident. She really should be dead. Thankfully, the skull healed nicely and she has had no major consequences from it. She was not please that we could not help her with her hearing though.
Our other crazy case was a little girl. She had stabbed herself with a pencil (the would 1/4" in length), she did things as normal; cleaned the house, played in the mud, handled raw pork. That happened two months ago. Now she has a nice pussy, oozy, seeping abscess in the meaty part at the base of her thumb. Dr. Hall did minor surgery on that trooper, who did not shed one tear. He took all of the dead and decaying flesh off, cauterized, and cleaned it up. Our amazing translator, Anna, distracted the girl the entire 30-40 minutes of the procedure. I think she will make a full recovery.
Then, there was a party. I mean pretty princess hat, pretty princess piñata, streamers, and of course a face cake. The Ecuadorians have this great tradition, which I have witnessed a few time in the past, where there is a cake for the birthday boy/girl's face and one for everyone else. Well, I got a face cake (pictures to follow of Facebook). And, everyone loved the piñata. I felt like a fool and actually thought I was hitting the pillar that the piñata was hooked too. Way more than I expected! Such a special day!!!
Today is my birthday! The ripe 'ol age of 27. To start the day off, Katty's sweet nephew brought me flowers in the shape of a dog. What a sweet little man!!!
We arrived to the village later than expected due to heavy rain in the night. As you would expect, the muddy roads became even muddies. It was a bit tricky. But, once again our amazing drivers got us to the village no problemo!
As we were setting up for clinic today, Alecita, one of our translators, grabbed me by the hand and dragged me into the clinic area. The military and translators lined up and sang some form of a birthday song. What a treat!
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| Houses In Alao |
Clinic was not as busy as yesterday; we saw 52 patients in total. Multiple villages that had planned to come were unable to make it due to mudslides. I am telling you, I have no idea how the soil stays in place! The pictures and words cannot express the grandness of these hills. Have you seen Jurassic Park? I'm sure they could use this area for an alternate location if they needed one. Ayayay...
Although clinic was not as buys, we still had some rocking patients. Generally, the people are pretty healthy. Ears are fairly clean, teeth are mostly there (not mostly rotten per the usual. We had one lady in the beginning of the day, she complained of not being able to hear well out of her left ear, vision problems, and her back hurts. After a little digging I discovered she had experienced some head trauma a few years back. Head trauma like a big rock fell on her head. When I asked to look at it I could feel a divot the size of a silver dollar and about a half an inch deep. Holy crap. I have no idea how she survived that incident. She really should be dead. Thankfully, the skull healed nicely and she has had no major consequences from it. She was not please that we could not help her with her hearing though.
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| Minor Surgery |
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| My Boys |
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Riobangbang - Day 1 in Alao
Day 1 in the village of Alao (sounds like allow)
Altitude 10,200ft
Up early! Breakfast and our military people tripled. From three to ten.
Off to the village. It was a solid hour and a half drive. Over half was gravel/dirt. Which isn't a big deal, except when there is so much moisture. The bus got stuck multiple times and we literally drove overtop of waterfalls breaking over the road. There was also the fun parts of the drive where the road wasn't visible when you looked out the window down the cliff face. And, the three bridges we crossed. Guarantee those are not up to code. Just close your eyes and pray. Thanks to the skill of our amazing military drivers we made it.
The space they had for us was amazing! It was the largest I have seen in my time on these trips. Medical, lab, children, and the eye clinic were all in one building. While pharmacy and education, were in another. It was a huge pharmacy! Huge like 6'x7'. It was like being on the Oprah Winfrey show, except with drugs, "you get mebendazole, you get mebendazole, and yyyyyooooouuuuu get mebendazole!!!!" Mebendazole is used to treat worms from the unclean water. Our group did a great job. During the half day at Alao, we were able to see 72 patients.
Alao is on a loop, so, we did not have to flip the bus around, thank goodness. But, we did manage to get stuck and slide around a bit on the way back down.
Katty is attempting to teach me the story of the spiritual bracelets in Spanish... yea, that's not going great.
Altitude 10,200ft
Up early! Breakfast and our military people tripled. From three to ten.
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| Happy Villagers Waving Hello! |
Off to the village. It was a solid hour and a half drive. Over half was gravel/dirt. Which isn't a big deal, except when there is so much moisture. The bus got stuck multiple times and we literally drove overtop of waterfalls breaking over the road. There was also the fun parts of the drive where the road wasn't visible when you looked out the window down the cliff face. And, the three bridges we crossed. Guarantee those are not up to code. Just close your eyes and pray. Thanks to the skill of our amazing military drivers we made it.
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| Our BIG Building |
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| One of Many "Water Over Roadway" |
The space they had for us was amazing! It was the largest I have seen in my time on these trips. Medical, lab, children, and the eye clinic were all in one building. While pharmacy and education, were in another. It was a huge pharmacy! Huge like 6'x7'. It was like being on the Oprah Winfrey show, except with drugs, "you get mebendazole, you get mebendazole, and yyyyyooooouuuuu get mebendazole!!!!" Mebendazole is used to treat worms from the unclean water. Our group did a great job. During the half day at Alao, we were able to see 72 patients.
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| The Line |
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| Pharmacy (AKA a bedroom) |
Katty is attempting to teach me the story of the spiritual bracelets in Spanish... yea, that's not going great.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Driving and Organizing
Most of today was another day of sitting... Up early, in comparison to what time most of us went to sleep, and on the road again! The trip from Quito to Riobamba is a four hour journey. It was mostly uneventful. Well, except when we stopped for lunch and Thao got locked on the bus, while the rest of us were eating. She thought everyone was getting out to stretch our legs and we would eat on the bus. Naturally, the bus driver locked the bus up tight, so that all of our belongings would stay safe. Poor girl.
We picked up a few translators along the way too. It's pretty funny. I think it looks like we are picking hitch hikers up. No warning; the bus stops and someone jumps in!
Once we got to the seminario, it was straight to work. The daunting task of sorting and splitting; labeling and counting. We will be visiting three villages while we are here. Every team member and every translator helped! We cranked it out in no time at all.
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| The Crew At Breakfast |
We picked up a few translators along the way too. It's pretty funny. I think it looks like we are picking hitch hikers up. No warning; the bus stops and someone jumps in!
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| On The Road to Riobamba |
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| A Few Of Our Military Friends |
Once we got to the seminario, it was straight to work. The daunting task of sorting and splitting; labeling and counting. We will be visiting three villages while we are here. Every team member and every translator helped! We cranked it out in no time at all.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
One Week...
Well, it is less than seven days until wheels are off the ground! I am so excited!! There will be a final packing of the bags today. Got to top all the bags off so that they weigh 49.9lbs.
There is word from Ecuador that it will be extra cold this year. We're talking 50-70 in town where we sleep and most defiantly 50's up at clinic. I think I may need to repack my backpack...
While we are out of the country I will (as long as there is internet) update this everyday.
There is word from Ecuador that it will be extra cold this year. We're talking 50-70 in town where we sleep and most defiantly 50's up at clinic. I think I may need to repack my backpack...
While we are out of the country I will (as long as there is internet) update this everyday.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Ecuador 2015
ECUADOR MEDICAL MISSION July 26-Aug 8, 2015
You are invited to join an amazing team of medical professionals working in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador this summer, 2015
Ecuador Medical Mission was started in 2003 by Nancy Gregory, ARNP, CDE, as a community team, drawing from the medical community in the Northwest. With the exception of two years, we have gone each year, providing medical care, health education, socks and shoes, and hope to villages in Chimborazo Province,Ecuador. We work with One Heart Global Ministries, a non-denominational Christian organization, the Ecuadorian army, and a medical foundation (La Fundacion Para El Desarrollo Humano Integral-Funhehin) based in Quito, Ecuador.
This year the medical team will be working in Pachancho, a village about 11-12,000 feet high in the Andes
Mountains. This is a village we have been working in for the last two years and are beginning to see
improvement in the overall health of the people. This area is extremely poor, with little access to medical care.
The health education we have provided is making a difference. There are several villages in the surrounding
areas that we will draw from as well. We will be providing medical care, health education and nutrition, and
continue to assess the health needs of the community. We will also be providing eye glasses. There will be
plenty of opportunity for those who enjoy working with children to teach about basic nutrition and dental care, and hygiene issues. We are anticipating collecting warm clothing primarily for the children, but will have some for the elderly as well. The children’s clinic is primarily playing and vacation Bible school type activities. Children work from an early age, so play is a luxury for them. Local pastors and community churches provide spiritual support, listening to people sharing their struggles, and offering prayer.
The medical team is comprised of medical volunteers; physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants,
nurses, dentists, lab technicians, medical students, and others with medical/dental training. These people work primarily in the medical clinic. Washington State University School of Pharmacy provides pharmacy interns to staff and run the pharmacy. We take all of our own medications purchased from Pullman Regional Hospital at cost. If you are interested in being a part of this dynamic team, please contact me.
TRIP DATES: July 25- Aug 6, 2015 (dates approximate)
COSTS: $2500-$2800. We raise funds for our supplies which cost about $15,000. Everyone is asked to write letters of support to provide funds for supplies.
QUESTIONS: Nancy Gregory at EcuadorMedicalMission@gmail.com
For more information about One Heart Global Ministries : www.OHGM.org
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