Medical Missions Foundation

A Parting Video

This last video from Scott Krigel and Team Guatemala, shows how our volunteers are incredibly adaptable in any situation.

Video

Great Numbers for the Week!

Post by -Emma Boddery

Friday during the day many visited Casa De Fe and played around with the children. Sabrina checked up on the children, adults and families who has tonsillectomies and other procedures earlier in the week. Casa De Fe is a magical place. While small, it is extremely cozy. The families bunk up, men upstairs and women downstairs. Laundry service is provided as well as meals, with individuals cleaning up after themselves. The atmosphere feels like a large family! Rooftop jump rope and soccer occupy the more hyper children. Play doh and other crafts continue as well. The landscape from the rooftop of Casa de Fe is breathtaking. Volcano Fuego puffs smoke behind the short walls as the clouds reveal spectacular views of the mountains and other volcanos. Antigua is a unique city to experience rich in culture and ancient traditions.

Friday night the group celebrated the week's successes over drinks and appetizers. The Sale's congratulated the group and the group thanked and congratulated one another. The weeks success are broken down into numbers: 500 patients were seen in both outpatient clinics. 160 ENT procedures, out of 95 procedures 80 were operated on in the or. 150 patients were seen in audiology, 145 patients received hearing aids. Incredible!

Wrapping up a Busy Week

Today was an exciting day for many. As the surgeries and other work in Obras comes to an end, exciting experiences present themselves to members of the group.

Some members disperse to various locations around Antigua. A few traveled by an early morning bus to a clinic at the foot of volcano Agua, in the town of Santa Maria De Jesus.  This important team includes: Pam Ramsey, MD, Alex McVey, Robert Paden,Stacy Carson-Pharmacy, Joann Lacy, Pharmacy, Michael Moore, Megan Spencer,Nidhi Patel, Brad Nelson, Amanda Steventon, and Lore Nelson, MD.  TheDental team: Maria Kunstadter, DDS,  Michael Sigler, DDS, Amy Cangelosi, and Shelbie Burbage joined Scott Kreigel and niece Heather Wayne. Immediately interesting circumstances present themselves. 

 Upon arriving the team discovers that the power is out. Scott reports,“There was no  electricity, no running water as   a result of the night’s storm. We weren’t allowed to flush toilets –no matter what was in them!” The team saw 163 patients thoughout the day. Treating dental problems, general ailments and sicknesses the team slaved away in the dark until the power came back on at 2 o’clock. Dentists worked in small rooms over flashlights! One room lacked any windows at all, so they moved procedures outside into the courtyard!

Dr. Nelson worked amazingly with all the children and parents in the clinic. Scott also noticed that all the women wore the traditional Mayan skirts and shirts, as opposed to about half wearing them at the Obras. Hand-woven three-dimensional shirts, upon inquiry were discovered to have taken about three weeks to make! On another interesting note, the men do not seem to have or wear any kind of traditional outfit that compares to those of the women. It was a long, trying, but successful day filled with many incredible memories and over 200 pictures. Stay tuned for you tube slideshows!

 Sabrina Shih, MD, spearheaded rounds at Casa De Fe with the help of Thomas Chaffee. Some members of the art team were able to observe some of the day’s surgeries. Thomas is happy to report that many children are feeling extremely well: “I recognized almost all of the patients, which was very fun. I have been spending time with a boy named Miguel who has been following me around and offering to help me! Everybody is in good spirits and they are all recovering great!” It is truly incredible what the teams of surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, physician’s assistants and med. students have accomplished in one day,

let alone one week!

Today the surgeries at Obras continued with more prostate procedures, rhinoplastys, ruptured eardrum repairs, and polyp removals. The art team continues craft projects consisting of butterflies (mariposas) made out of coffee filters, pipe cleaners and clothespins. The art team also said farewell to Pablo, a friend and patient who was discharged this afternoon. His doctors were happy to report he is healing and feeling very well!

 As our Spanish improves so do our conversations among the locals. Time passes quickly as the week comes to a close. Up in Audiology a 3 year-old boy by the name of Jonathan Flores sits on his father’s lap. The Audiology team conducts his hearing test. Because Jonathan is so young it is difficult to measure the tones using the Audiometer, Dana Jacobson says. The team switches tactics from having him drop an eraser into a cup upon hearing the beeps, to the more objective machine called an OAE. The OAE gives results, which are black and white: a normal hearing ear or abnormal ear. Jonathan’s parents were concerned that his lack of speech development could be a result of a hearing issue. The team discovers that his hearing is fine. Jonathan’s parents are relieved to hear the good news. Audiology is bustling throughout the entire day. Later in the day those needing a hearing apparatus are fitted and walk out of Obras transformed. The team saw around 35 patients on Thursday alone (which should be doubled at they see them twice: Once for the hearing tests and once more to fix the apparatus!) Great job!

Carlota is healing well after a small scare early in the day. Dr. Montgomery reports that she is healing well despite an unsettled stomach.

Friday there are no surgeries scheduled. The day includes mostly

rounds, checking up on the patient’s progress and packing, packing, and some more packing. Watching the World Cup in between these activities is also an interest among many.

-Emma Boddery

Another Video !!!

Enjoy another video treat from our man Scott Krigel. It is awesome!

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Working in overdrive!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

NOTE - Team volunteers do have the opportunity to read the blog while in Guatemala so please leave them a comment at the bottom or a note of encouragement.

A few stomach issues have presented themselves among group members, but for the most part the majority of the group is well. Pablo and Carlota recover side by side in the hospital wing of the Obras. Dr. Mongomery reports that Carlota’s surgery has at least an 80% success rate! Along with the doctors and nurses, members of the art team filter through and check on their progress throughout the day. 

In the O.R. the day begins with the youngest children. Not being able to eat breakfast is hard on the small ones, so the surgeons work them through first. Surgeons and their teams tackle the shortest and least complex of the surgeries early in the morning. They continue to work through the afternoon, taking a later lunch. Tubes, enlarged sinus polyps, turbinates, rhinoplastys, tympanoplastys, and prostate surgeries all occur throughout the day. 

The pharmacy at the Obras, (Stacey Carson) works in overdrive today as patients begin to disperse and travel home or to other various locations. One boy needed special care as a result of an intestinal infestation of amoebas. Turns out, he needed a medicine the team did not bring from the States, so a few good Samaritans pooled their Quetzals (Guatemalan currency) and purchased some for him.

Up in audiology miracles occur. The sense of sound becomes a first experience for some.  Two tiny, stifling rooms present one of many small hurdles for the audiology team that consists of: Dana Jacobson, Katey Staeben, Liz Stewart, Mahalet Jiregna and Trent Sale. The language barrier is also difficult.  The patients need to be rigged up to the hearing test apparatus, and then fitted for their apparatus at a certain time. The ambient noise that carries itself through the thin hospital walls also presents small hurdles for hearing diagnosis. Today two Dutch translators were helping filter through patients in the Audiology clinic. Katey Staeben reported that they have seen and treated around 65 patients in the last two and a half days! Some children as young three have heard their first sounds thanks to the volunteers on our audiology team.

The team continues to work hard and change lives throughout their days here in Antigua. The same goes for the clinic Casa de Fe. Post surgical patients are transported there to continue their recovery process. There is more to come on Casa de Fe tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - Busy Working, Working, Working

 It is only the third day and some incredible stories have evolved. The tonsil children all seem to be in good health and spirits. Today most will travel about a mile away to the clinic, Casa de Fe to recoup for the remainder of the week.This morning many surgeries take place. A few to mention involve a 39-year-old female, Carlota and a jovial young man of 12 by the name of Pablo. Both express gratitude beyond words.

Carlota enters surgery under the experienced hands of Dr. Montgomery   and team around nine. She will be in surgery for about two hours or so. For the past 15 years Carlota has lived with a severe fistula of the urethra, as a result of a badly treated complications from a stillbirth. Today she was given the chance to live normally again.While the recovery process includes an extended period with a catheter in place, anything is better than the situation she has endured for fifteen years. This is truly a life changing procedure.

 Pablo is the art team’s knight in shining armor. With an enormous smile he awaits the call of his name in the outdoor waiting area. While he waits he helps the art team distribute BINGO cards and explains the game to many. He is such a blessing; even giving thumbs up as our Spanish commun ication improves with each passing day. The whole art team raves about his excellent demeanor. A previous mission was unable to give him the surgery he needed, so Pablo has travelled over two hours to Antigua with his mother Angela. Scars mark two previous, unsuccessful surgeries. He is hopeful Dr. Kim Baker and team will be able to successfully remove a deep cyst that has re-grown near his thyroid.

Both surgeries were a success. Both are recovering in the hospital Obras Del Hermano Pedro tonight. Pablo will relocate to Casa de Fe on Wednesday at some point to continue his recovery. The caring nursing staff will monitor Carlota’s progress closely in the coming week. 

Monday is Tonsil Day

After a late, rainy night at the Obras, the sun is out early Monday morning. Breakfast was shared over cheering World Cup fans. By 7:00 AM the anesthesiologists were off to the hospital to begin the long day of at least 35 tonsillectomies. The art team and other volunteers arrived by 9:00.

Chairs filled with patients and their families line the halls. Few chairs are empty. Hummingbirds zoom around the vast vegetation happy from the nights rain. The art team prepares for puppet making with new and familiar faces. Frogs, (ranas), puppies (perritos), and bunnies (conejitos) are universal favorites.

Those outside of the shade sweat under the transient sun. Thirty minutes later patients and volunteers alike welcome the rolling cloud cover. The clouds settle in for the rest of the day.

The assembly lines of tonsils continue successfully throughout the day. Everyone convenes mid day for a sustaining lunch of rice, beans, steamed zucchini and beef. Thick pancake-like tortillas drizzled with honey is a delicious addition to our menu.

Tonsil day is a hectic day in the PACU. The doctors begin with the youngest children and work their way up in age as the day progresses. As one can imagine, all children coming out of surgery are disoriented. The nurses console and treat as the patients begin their recovery and new life sans tonsils.

After lunch the waiting areas are significantly less bustling. Most families are together in recovery.

While surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses work behind the walls, the art team makes bracelets with the few children remaining. Mothers and grandmothers join in as well to pass the time. Small children sleep in their father’s arms.

The week ahead is filled with more surgeries and stories; there is more to come tomorrow.

On an interesting note, dental work commences while the children are under anesthesia for tonsils and other various procedures. Rotten teeth vex many children. This tactic painlessly and discreetly removes the problem for those suffering from decaying teeth. Team dentists Maria Kunstadter and Michael Sigler work in conjunction with the nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists throughout tonsil day. No serious complications arise. The first day was a success as all prepare to move forward with other surgeries the week brings.

Post by Emma Boddery

Video From Day One

It's a video bonus from blogger Scott Krigel. Enjoy!

Day 1 Video Guatemala

MMF Returns to Guatemala

Just two weeks ago MMF Team 1 to Guatemala returned from an extremely "eventful" mission. Now it's Take 2 as a team departed Kansas City Saturday. We are happy to report that they have safely arrived in Antigua, Guatemala. 

We hope you enjoys this blog - check back daily for new posts from a variety of bloggers.

 

Day 1

The day begins for the group at 6 am. The breakfast provided by the hotel was expansive and delicious. The patio presented a picturesque setting for the team to prepare themselves for a busy day. For some it was a journey into the unknown. Coffee and an array of fresh juices were a big hit. The intermittent rain which began upon our arrival, continued through the night and settled into the day as well.  Misty clouds encircle the peaks surrounding the city of Antigua. The cool weather instills energy and vitality for the group along with the future of the patients.

 The group headed several blocks north to the hospital Obras del Hermano Pedro where a group photo was taken. One of the nuns, Mama Maritza met us for an impromptu tour. It quickly prepared us all to take on the day ahead one step at a time.

Stephanie Sale, Mission Coordinator and the head nurse, Odra Flores, briefed us in the lunch room. The needs are great in this hospital, and the gratitude was clearly expressed to all that made it happen.

A whirlwind of a day began with a few shy children and a pack of foam necklace beads. Soon brothers,   sisters, cousins alike began making crafts while the doctors began seeing patients. Smiles greet and connect everyone throughout the day. All are extremely warm, friendly and patient as some of us stumble through our Spanish. Communicating becomes easier over art. We learn about their families, where they are from, and make other small talk. The phrase “mas o menos” –more or less signifies the beginnings of the mission

Madelaine Weissend, a high school volunteer on the art team, exclaimed, “I feel like my Spanish has improved so much after a single day here at the hospital! I thought it was going to be difficult communicating, and it was at first, but it became so much easier very quickly. It was really fun!”

 As the day progresses we all do our best to understand and help to the best of our abilities. This first day is extremely important to the patients as well as the doctors. Serious problems need to be identified, as well as the fixable ones. Tonsillitis and chronic ear infections plague many of the youths while some issues arise to be quite serious.

Some of the more serious cases need to be treated in larger hospitals or even in the United States. Money and means are an issue for most. Overall, despite the waiting and ailments, all families who travelled here maintain a positive morale. All the doctors and med students alike repeat how nice and understanding   the patients and families are. The great hardship experienced by the patients just to get to the hospital alone, creates a special relationship between them and the doctors. Both want to be in the hospital just as much as the other. 

On an interesting note, Dental work commences while the children are under anesthesia for tonsils and other various procedures. Rotten teeth vex many children. This tactic painlessly and discreetly removes the problem for those suffering from decaying teeth. Team dentists Maria Kunstadter and Michael Sigler work in conjunction with the nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists throughout tonsil day. No serious complications arise. The first day was a success as all prepare to move forward with other surgeries the week brings.

Post by Emma Boddery, Art Team Volunteer