GLADYS

Our group began to dwindle on Friday morning. Gladys has been on several trips with me in the past, and is always an invaluable piece of the team. Besides her español skills and cultural competency, her organization and ability to keep work flow going are amazing. She once again jumped right in, performing any duty required, from triage nurse to translator to comedian,  and at one point I think she might have even been Gary's pediatric resident for a morning!  She began her return trip Friday morning, and the group is much quieter now!

KIM

Kim uses her vacation time to come and serve, and spends her 'vacation' working her tail off...  Her language competence (truly amazing!) means that she is quite self-sufficient and never really needs a translator. Her soft demeanor translates to warmth and compassion with the kids she sees, and it actually got warm enough here this week to allow her to remove hr sweatshirt!! Thanks for all your hard work, Kim!!

GARY

What can I say about my 'partner in crime'?!
Please pray for Gary and Kim today, as they had their flight diverted to New Orleans amid some storms on Friday, and are now in the Houston airport with standby tickets hoping to get home on Saturday.

ISMAEL

How blesses we are to have such an amazing host and project coordinator as Ismael. Despite juggling our group with its many needs, and his amazing family, he always has a smile on his face and a kind, encouraging  word for anyone who needs it. The owner of the house where we have our clinic in Santa Ana is having a security wall built in front, so the normal barbed wire that protects it has been taken down, and their dog, 'Taker', cannot stay to protect the clinic at night. Therefore, Ismael will be sleeping at the clinic (a 40 minute drive from his home) every night for the next few weeks until the wall is finished. Talk about devotion.

ORFE

Behind every great man is an amazing woman, and Orfe is that woman!  Pray for her as she has 3 exams at school on Saturday, which I know did not get the attention they deserved since she was caring for us all week

SANDRA Y LUIS

Hospitality is a gift, and it was demonstrated so beautifully by a couple in a village called "Las Viñas", just west of the Belize border. The people in the village have nearly no access to medical care short of traveling an over an hour west to San Benito or an hour east to a village right in the Belize border. The majority of the people in this village are quite poor and cannot afford the bus fare to travel to either of these places. There is a 'Centro de Salud' in Las Viñas", but the nurse there has nearly no medical equipment, and no meds at all to treat the conditions we saw these past 2 days. 

Certainly many of the people we saw the last 2 days were some of the sickest (medically) that I have seen in Guatemala. At least 6 people with blood sugars over 500, and 3 that just read "high" (meaning over 600, which I the highest that the meter can read). Several knew that they had diabetes, but could not afford to pay to get to where they could buy medicines. Blood pressures over 200 systolic was unfortunately not an uncommon finding. Again, no access to medication. Many with headaches and chest pain. I couldn't help but think at one point howard of these people, if they had come for care to our hospital at home, how many would have been admitted for care. Yet here, a month worth of medicine, and no follow up, is the best we can offer. 

Yet people lined the porch of the clinic all day waiting to see a 'North American doctor'. Luis and Sandra graciously allowed us to completely overtake their 3-room house for these 2 days, including moving out half of their furniture, hanging curtains for make-shift rooms, and allowing hundreds of people to wait on their porch and use their 'latrina' (bathroom).  What a gift they gave to their community!!

CARRIE

Dra. Carrie made some amazing leaps in her Spanish speaking skills today!! I saw her go from being timid to even say a couple words, to having complete conversations and explaining medications to people by the end of the day. Some OMM, a few joint injections, paps, an EMB, an intradermal steroid injection. She certainly used her gifts to be God's hands today. As se grows closer to finishing her residency in just under 4 months, I can see that she is going to be an amazing doctor!

GEOFFREY

Another young man who expanded his Spanish vocabulary immensely today, yet made an effort to teach some English to the waiting kids in the form of teaching them to sing, "row, row, row your boat" (with motions!!). I am excited to see how his compassion and willingness to serve transfers to the next few years in medical school!

JEREMY

Despite his initial discomfort with the language, Jeremy was quick to jump in to take histories when patients first present to the clinic. Bit this should not surprise me, since Jeremy has been so quick to help with ANYTHING he has been asked, from helping to pack at the last minute, to picking up some last minute necessities before getting on the plane in Houston, to counting pills and carrying bags.  It is a blessing to have him on this trip, and I know he will excel in medical school next year!

More tomorrow...when we return to Santa Ana for 3 days of clinic. 

I continue to reflect on the meaning of "bastante" which in the usual USA dictionary translates as "enough".  Lauren observed that the Guatemalan people actually use the word "bastante" in a way that means "WAY enough".  So, for example, in our trip home from the clinic yesterday, we were nearing the Guatemalan meaning of "bastante" when we put 13 adults, 1 baby, an ultrasound machine, an examination table, and all the medical supplies into the van. 
 
In the Reflections on Simplicity book, a favorite of mine, John Woolman, is quoted.  He uses the word "adequate" in a similar way.  Adequate is like a round table, there is always room for one more.  Adequate is more flexible than enough.  One can always adjust if one is flexible enough.  God works besst when His people are flexible with the gifts that He gives. 
 
Do not worry about what you will eat or what you will wear...God is providing.  IF we can get to that point in our living, then we are living in the spirit of adequate and we are living without worry ABOUT OURSELVES.  I wont worry about not having enough water for the day or having to go to the bathroom when there are what appear to be no facilities, how much I have to eat, etc.  Life just goes on.  WE know in a new way that our God is a provident God.  Our energies can be devoted to something outside ourselves.
 
In the story of Lazarus, once in hell he begged that someone be sent back to warn the others....the request is denied with the words they already have enough evidence....there is adequate evidence....they wont see it if I tell them again.  They still wont get it.  Dont you see, you are a smart man, you didnt get it.....they wont get it.  We are SURROUNDED by the evidence of Gods providence and yet how slow we are to believe....help my unbelief.
 
Woolman speaks of our no longer being able to see the superfluous as superfluous.  We no longer perceive the truth of the situation.  We are starying in Casa Amelia....an adequate dwelling.  On an earlier trip, there was no breakfast table in the center of the small lobby because there was not breakfast in the lobby.  Then one day a table arrived at breakfast time near the chairs.  Soon a lovely cloth decorated the table.  Then one day, salt and margarine arrived on the table.  Then someone found or someone saw another hotel with a spinning holder for the salt and the margarine.  Add a flower.  The question is, where was adequate?  And when did we stop recognizing it?  Was not table okay?  Do we need all the trimmings to eat breakfast?  Where was adequate?  We no longer see it.  We need to look for adequate.  The real question is the cost of not recognizing adequate.  NOT how much the lovely table cloth cost, but the cost of not taking care of our brothers and sisters who are RIGHT NOW sitting at our door begging for a scrap, like Lazarus....and we do not see them.  Somehow, with an unconscious dribble here and there, we find the tablecloth more important than the people at the door.  We have adequate evidence.  WE do not see.
 
You know you are where you belong when God speaks to you there.  Is God speaking to you?  When did we stop hearing the voice?  When did we stop noticing?  When does God speak to me?  Is God speaking or not?  It is that simple.  It is like the lovely music that our Sr. Krista traditionally plays on the feast of the Epiphany....the note that plays the star....we get used to it until it disappears....when did it disappear?  Where did we leave it?  How can we find it again?
 
Sr. Pam

This morning we picked up Geoff Meyers (St. Francis grad) at the airport and then took our hour drive to be with the people at Las Vinas.  This village is located about 30 minutes outside of the last farthest village that was visited on the last trip.  A married couple volunteered their house as the clinic for the day...which likely meant that their porch was occupied by people for 12 hours.  It was actually a cold day and it rained lightly making for even closer community on the porch.  In the house of three rooms, we set up three curtained examining rooms, a pharmacy, a takein location, height, weight, blood sugar testing and the porch was the waiting room.  <orphe had a totally organized system of assistance.  Each person on the visit is basically an expert on what happened in their location, but knows perhaps little of what anyone else did.  Since I was welcomed into each room to observe, I got a bigger picture (but have the poorest ability to translate medically what I saw.)  My job was to be with the people, especially the children.  Those who know me, know that my repertoire is not based on primary children.  I have learned over the years.  On my first trip, I managed to entertain the children for about 30 minutes and I was completely out of ideas.  Today, I dragged and stretched and took the Guatemalan pace and reaslized that the children could basically entertain themwselves once they got used to me.  So at one point, on the next porch, there were children coloring (two colring books and 24 crayons lasted all day), children reading Frog and Toad while sitting near me and taking tur4ns doing the r4ading.  They were happy and the day passed as a Guatemalan day likely usually passes.  As always the medical personnel among us struggle with the issues of quality care, lack of access to medicine including good roads or money for transportation, how many are served.  <yesterday <kim and Gary saw 28 children at an even pace.  After working with the history taken by Gladys earlier for each child, <kim then examined each child (as was great with those that were afraid), spoke to the mother about each child, and then spoke at length to the mother about clean water and other simple remedies that would help.  (This instruction would usually be done by a health worker in the village but this village does not have one, meaning that no one has come forth with that gift)
We are going back to the same village today (Tuesday) where we already know that we will not be able to see the rest of the people at the village and all the others that will come from afar.  Thank you for your continued prayers.  Sr. PaM

 

Each morning, I continue to read from Reflections on Simplicity.  It is talking about stages of understanding and acceptance.  For example, phase one when you have an attachment to a thing and you find it very difficult to give that object away, but once you give it away you have a sense of not needing it, not possessing it.  Similarly, our relationships grow in a similar fashion.  Initial stages of real friendships or marriages or communities are sticky and messy and ugly.  Sometimes we chalk off the relationship as not being worth it.  Give and take is learned.  Over time we move from a possessiveness to a true love and respect and appreciation of the person as they are.  There is no more power struggle.  There is acceptance of gifts and limitations.  Yet a third example is with service.  At first we give service that is really self serving.  For a long time it is unconconsciously self serving.  Just like with a doctor, only with time and practice and reflection can we become true missionaries.  True missionaries at home, in our home, in our workplace and in our communities.  We cannot learn this with one mission trip.  This is my fourth international trip.  I feel that I am just beginning to see and just beginning to love and just beginning to lose selfishness.  This gift I want to share at home as well.
 
Because of this overall attitude (as described above) generally among those on the trip, there tends to be true conversations about important topics.  There is struggle and presentation of an issue from various points of view that are shared in a great spirit of openness because none of us are Guatemalan and none of us feel that we are the experts so we don{t tend so much to defend our turf.  So this morning already we talked after Mass about what we observed and about the readings Although we are of various practices of faith), at breakfast we talked about immigration as an issue, Coral and I talked a bit about how to work with the students that are on the trip when there is a language barrier.  We solved no problems, but we shared experiences in a relationship of gift and searching.  And these things stay in our minds and on our hearts all through the day.  I am finding this as a true retreat experience.  God is talking here all the time and I can hear Him in a different way here.  It is as if the Spirit is blowing literally in the breeze and one of us says--I need to know how to say you be the teacher in Spanish--and God drops in not only the words but also the understanding for that moment and then the Spirit moves on.  The gifts are all floating around us all the time, we stop for a moment and use and then share and then pass on the gift.  We can do this anywhere.  I have learned that Gods Time is in the waiting....the poor wait a lot.....God speaks to them or directs them in the mere waiting.
 
How can I even begin to share our day yesterday.  It seems we did a million things and met a million people.  And the goal is not to meet and run, meet and run, but to make a connection that will last (we talked about this this morning as well).  I will do like a laundry list and perhaps each of you might want to ask me in detail more about something later.  And know that this is incomplete and that there is a lot of time driving on stony back roads.
 
845am:  We get word from the woman who has our luggage...via iphone...havent traded yet, but it seems the luggage will return to the respective owners....like a miracle!  The trip included Coral, Carrie, Lauren, Ishmael and my.  Orfe and little Anita had gone to school so that Orphe could take an exam.
 
WE also did a money exchange.  Here are some story problems for the kids that I want them to use the internet to solve.
 
1.  I gave the teller $60 American dollars.  Look up the exchange rate for quetzales.  How much Guatemalan money did I get back?  Look up the pictures of the money.
 
2.  If I paid Q54 for a hamburger and fries, how much did the meal cost in dollars?
 
3.  The cost of gasoline for one liter was Q37.79.  How much would that be per gallon in dollars?
 
4.  There was even an LSAT logic problem that we had to solve this morning.  There are 5 more people arriving today and then another 2 tomorrow.  Of the total, 8 are women.  How can we book single, double, and triple rooms at the hotel so that all of us fit each night?
 
After a 5 minute drive we arrived at Genesis Empresarial.  This is the microfinance bank.  On an earlier trip, a group of us spent about 90 minutes with a leader there.  Unfortunately, Ishmael was not with us.  We wanted Ismael to talk with the persons there to better understand what we are talking about.  Unfortunately, it was closed on Saturday.  We hope to try again.
 
My impression is that things have improved in general since our last visit.  I am surprised at how clean the roads and sides of the roads are of liter even as we travel in the bush.  Perhaps I am still too much among the rich. 

Below is Coral's summary of the amazing connections and encounters they have already made in just 2 days! Before starting the clinic, she and Sr. Pam had hoped to deepen our connections in the Peten with the hopes of giving us direction for future efforts. Seems like God is opening so many doors!

MARINA
 
How does a 30ish year old women of Mayan descent in Guatemala in a very small village an hour away from any paved road develop a dream of creating a business to sell soap and shampoo and other products around the world?  Today we followed Sister Pam's ambition to explore a potential microfinance opportunity in a village names "El Cartucho".  This village lies on a gravel/ stone road approximately an hour from Santa Ana (our home base for our clinic), and is home to approximately 75 families, many of Mayan descent and many are non-Spanish speakers (many speak a Mayan dialect called q'eqchi' ).  Eleven beautiful, motivated women were waiting in the community center when we arrived, with a table lined with their products for us to inspect.  The leader of the group, Marina, is a visionary who would like to be able to earn money to send her children to school past 6th grade, which is what the government provides.  I asked where she thought she would like to sell her products, and she said, "todo el mundo" (all over the world). 
 
She told us that her grandmother and mother knew how to make soaps and shampoos, so she has gathered together a group of women, now numbering 14, who each chipped in 100 quetzales (about 15 dollars) to get the business started. They all come together for a full day and make about 500 bottles of shampoo and 50 bars of soap, then go door to door in their village and the surrounding villages selling them so that they can make a small profit to help feed their families, and hopefully save a little for future endeavors such as education.  The fact that these women are so organized and motivated, and the fact the their husbands are supportive of their efforts, is truly amazing in a setting such as this.
 
We had a wonderful discussion about some marketing ideas, some potential sources of capital/ resources for future endeavors, and praised them for their amazing work.  They proudly explained what each soap and shampoo contained (mostly seeds or roots or leaves from special plants in the area), and what that particular ingredient treated:  seed of zapote for headaches.  Pimiento for stretch marks.  miel (honey) for wrinkles.  They even performed a little "skit" for us, which we videotaped, to demonstrate one of the women selling the product to another woman explaining what each one was meant to treat.
 
I left with a sense of hope for this community, and a realization that at the core, we all have the same desires:  to care for our children, see them do well, and provide them with opportunities better than the ones we had.  The hope and motivation that this woman has to make this happen is inspiring, and I believe that some day very soon, we may be seeing products with the label "el cartucho" lining shelves of salons all over the world.
 
DANIEL
 
Hope amidst adversity.  That is the best way to summarize what I see in Daniel's face.  Daniel is an unfortunate young man of 17 years who was involved in a tragic accident with a "tuk-tuk" (motorcycle-like taxi) 2 years ago.  He had a t-spine injury and is hemiplegic.  He has endured MANY complications, including extensive sacral decubitus ulcers (bed sores), colostomy placement, and recurrent infections of his urinary tract.  We went to visit him in the government hospital today, which is an eye-opening experience in itself.  Daniel has been in the hospital for two months, initiated by a bad urinary tract infection.  He has had much trouble with urinary retention, has had a chronically indwelling foley catheter (a tube to drain his bladder) and many infections.  From his explanation, I believe that they have decided to perform a ureterostomy (diverting the ducts that leave his kidneys and normally go into the bladder into a pouch that would come out onto his stomach.  He has already had one surgery, and they are planning to do another.  In his always-cheerful voice, with his always-smiling face, he welcomed us, we chatted about his family, and when Ismael asked if he wishes he were home, he said, 'yes, but I know I need to be here, so it is okay."  What an amazing spirit this boy has!  
 
CARLOS
 
We returned to meet with a larger group of leaders in El Chal, the village where we would like to build a birthing center.  As is typical in Guatemala, the communication wires got a bit crossed, and while most of the leaders thoughts that the meeting was to be tomorrow, Catalina and we thought that it was to be today.  Regardless, we were able to pull together a small meeting of 2 gringas and 4 Guatemalans, including the president of the village counsel, Carlos,  to discuss the needs, desires, and opportunities for this community.  Needless to say, the community leaders with whom we met are thrilled about the prospect of having a "centro salud" (health center) of any kind in their community.  We discussed options for location, including which area would be the most accessible, the safest, the quietest, and the most accepted by the community.  Carlos had many wise suggestions and ultimately reported that he thinks this is a "marvelous" opportunity for their community.  He wants to meet with the rest of the group of leaders, meet with the people of his community, and will get back to us soon about a location.  He wants to know how soon we can build!  I told him I would start raising money the day I get back.  Anyone want to come on a construction trip in June!?! :)
 
 
SISTER PAM
 
Sister Pam arrived in Guatemala with a small spiral notebook which I would guess contains 200 lined pages.  On Day 3, she is getting dangerously close to reaching the half-way point of the book with her pencil constantly recording events, names, places, and important follow-up points.  Although I have known Sr. Pam for several years, she never ceases to amaze me with her gently probing questions which get right to the heart of the matter, her many areas of interest and knowledge, which seem to always be pertinent to whatever topic is at hand, her words of wisdom which she freely and wilingly shares, and her gentle, loving smile, which is omnipresent.
 
This has been an amazing two days; I feel like we 4 gringas (and our trusty Guatemalan hosts) have accomplished a weeks' worth of feats in the past 48 hours.  Tomorrow, the second wave arrives...safe travels, amigo y amigas!

CATALINA
 
At the age of 17, Catalina had never seen a birth firsthand, but knew that she had some interest in being a comedrona (nursemidwife).  She had a dream one night that she was in a room with a woman who was having awful pain and bleeding a lot, and she was able to help deliver the baby and everything turned out okay.  Just a few months later, she was called to the home of a laboring woman to see if she could help her, and she found that the circumstance was exactly what she had encountered in her dream.  She feels that God prepared her for that situation with the dream.  From that time forward, women began to come to her and ask for her help with their births.  Now, at nearly 60 years of age, she serves her community by attending births, helping counsel women about their pregnancies, examing them to be sure the baby is growing well and in correct position, and even helps them when the baby is young with feeding advice and recommendations for sick infants.  
 
Carrie, Lauren, and I arrived at Catalina's house to find a line of "embarazadas" (pregnant women) waiting for her return. She had gone to run an errand, and returned shortly after our arrival.  Her bright smile and friendly manner welcomes anyone who steps foot onto her front porch.  She invited us in to her room, where she has a bed where she and her husband sleep each night, and where women come from far away to deliver.  The women, one by one, come and lie on her bed as she examines them.  She uses a "cream" (something like a cocoa butter) to massage their bellies and reaches around to their lumbar spine for a little massage.  She then performs Leopold manuevers and tells exactly where is the baby's had and back and bottom. For most, she also give her opinion about the gender of the child, it seems mostly based on how the baby is lying or how big the baby is ("she is small and low") or how the baby is behaving ("he is a boy because he is very active and kicking a lot.  The women smile and are satisfied that all is well.
 
After the 1st patient, I ask if she would like to try to use the doppler that I brought.  It is an old doppler that was used during my residency years, but is very outdated, but she is very excited to be able to demonstrate the "corazon' for each mom.  She tells me that when the women get close to delivery, she puts her ear to their bellies to hear the baby's heart, so this is very exciting for her to use.  
 
After she sees the women who are waiting for the morning (approximately 8 in all), we sit to chat.  She loves to share her experiences, and talks about how she uses certain plants to help with labor:  she brings a "guarumo" plant, which is growing just behind her house.  She uses the leaves of the plant to make a tea that can help with a retained placenta.   She showed a plant that they use to "bathe" with when a child has a cough.  She also told us that the "eye" of the almond is good for cramps (menstrual and labor).  She told stories about women who have lost babies at a very young age (days to weeks to months), and women who have died in childbirth, and the effects on their families they left behind.
 
She often counsels women to go to the hospital to deliver if she feels it is not safe to deliver in the village, but many do not have the money to go to a clinic (a vaginal delivery costs the equivalent of $500 U.S.), and at the government hospital they are often either turned away or made to wait for hours to receive care.
 
We talked about her dreams for helping women in her area, and our dreams for providing safe pregnancies, births, and post-partum care for women.  She was surprised to hear that women in the U.S. see a doctor after they deliver.  In Guatemala, women almost never see a provider (doctor or comedrona) until they are pregnant again.  
 
Too many stories of stillbirths, deaths within the first few hours/ days/ months.  Death of mother in childbirth.  
 
But her passion for her community is amazing.  She really wants to learn and do whatever she can to help the women in her community.  This amazing woman who cannot read, yet has 6 "certificates" from courses she has taken over the years to learn more.  
 
She has also taken on the task of preparing the Kids Against Hunger food for about 90 kids in the community every Tuesday and Friday.  She has a HUGE "kettle" in which she cooks 13 bags of food.  The children come bringing their plates/ bowls/ containers...and leave with smiles.
 
Catalina's husband is very supportive of her; when a woman comes in labor, he is often asked to leave their bed in the middle of the night and go to sleep in the kitchen while the women delivers on their bed. Other times, he is asked to help care for the children of the woman, who have come with her since they cannot be left alone at home, while she is giving birth.  
 
We met with Carlos, the "presidente" of the "auxillary" of the village.  He seems to be the one who can make decisions about land and resources in the village.  He showed us two plots of land that belong to the village.  We discussed the possibility of building a "women's health center", which would incorporate a birthing center, where women could come to deliver, have prenatal and post-partum care, receive vitamins and education; a feeding center for pregnant women as well as children under 5, and maybe even a health center to address the needs of young children.  He thoughtfully showed us both areas, and talked about the benefits and drawbacks of each. He explained that the one area would be closer to the main road, where it would be more accessible for women who might come from other villages, and also would make it easier to have access to the hospital in San Benito (an hour away) in an emergency.
 
Over a pleasant dinner with Ismael, Orfe, and their beautiful children, we shared stories from the day.  Sister Pam had a great day exploring 3 schools in various areas and meeting with teachers and students.  She has big plans for tomorrow to further the microenterprise cause here.
 
A day of listening, learning, and enjoying the culture of the Peten.
 
I pray that this will be an important stepping stone in the path that God is paving for us here.
 
Several times today Catalina used the phrase "dar luz" (give light) to describe a birth.  I pray that we may help to "dar luz" to those here who may feel darkness, solitude, desparation or hopelessness.
 
Please keep us in your prayers in the coming days.

Photos from our cervical cancer prevention trip

Thursday, Feb 23, 2012

Last day of “our trip.” My mom used to say, “We looked forward to it for so long and now it’s over!” Well, yes, I looked forward to it but it was really with true trepidation that it would ever even happen! Just a few days before we left, I was in tears whining to my poor husband that it looked liked some of the crucial parts of this trip might not come to fruition despite all of our greatest efforts.

And now, it’s over and unlike many times in life, I can say without the slightest hesitation that this experience went far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of.   The lives that were touched, the people that were given a chance at life, the connections that were made, the friendships that were forged, the hope that was given were more than most could hope for in a lifetime.

Actually, it was almost surreal. Puja and I looked at each other at the end of the day yesterday and said “Did this really happen or are we just in a dream?” While I’m sure that as with everything else in life, we’ll be brought back to reality quickly but for at least this moment, everyone involved in this effort can really smile with real tears of joy and say “Yes, job well done!!”

One of the last patients of the day yesterday broke down in tears after her “LEEP” cone biopsy.  For those of you who don’t know what that is, I think Puja explained it best to the patient when she said to her, “Don’t worry…..it’s just a little electricity!!!”

As I watched this patient cry, I wondered if she was in pain so I asked her what we could do to make her feel better. She then threw her arms around me sobbing and said,  “ I will never forget all of you for the rest of my life;  your group, your team, all of  you – I will ask God to bless you every day.  Thank you for curing me!”  She couldn’t stop sobbing. 

It wasn’t her thank you that I needed; none of us needed any thank you.  But this wasn’t a “thank you”.  It was this mutual exchange of love. While I can’t speak for the others on the team, I would imagine they would know what I’m describing. It was this very deeply emotional sensation, almost as if I was in whatever heaven is.  The love this woman was giving me was the same love I was giving her and we were both meeting each other’s greatest needs.   Yes, maybe all these efforts from so many people will give this woman many more years of life, but more importantly these acts of selfless love do so much to bring goodness.  We can only hope that those many, many acts of kindness will be given forward and the great injustices these women face every day will be made a little better.

So in our 1100 “pap smears”, what did we find and what did we learn? Too many cancers…. lots of “near-cancers”….. but more importantly, at least 24 cases of “just this close to cancer” that we were able to “cure” so easily.   At least 24 women will get to live out their lives and raise their children, not being victims of a disease that could have been so easily prevented.

But perhaps even more importantly, we were able to really begin to know what it means to have absolutely no rights as a woman. We heard story after story of women telling us that they were “taught” about sex from their father, their step-father or their grandfather; stories of women murdered because they didn’t do what a man wanted; stories of women who had their “tubes tied” because a doctor thought it was best for them without obtaining their permission. It wasn’t until half-way through our trip that we even realized that women didn’t “count” abuse when it is from their husband.  We began to understand that the answer to preventing cervical cancer in Guatemala or anywhere in the world is not about training cytotechnologists, or about having a sophisticated lab or about money (although those are absolutely crucial). It is about accepting the reality that woman and men are born equally in the eyes of God and that we are ALL entitled to the most basic of human rights. In the U.S. we have had a history of very brave people who stepped out against discrimination of ethnic groups, of women, of homosexuals. We may think we have made great strides and yes, we have in comparison to countries like Guatemala. But every time any of us think we are more deserving of anything because we are in the “majority”, we are no better than those who abuse these poor hopeless women.

To say “thank you” to all of you that changed the course of so many lives seems so small.  If I even tried to list all of you, I would surely forget someone who might have been the key to it all.  So rather than listing people or departments or names, I only want to thank each and every one of you.  I have had many great joys in my life – most of those were in relation to my husband, my parents, my sister and my children.  I have also had the incredible privilege of working with the poorest people of Guatemala and knowing the joy that they know – which is to live simply and at peace with God. But this month was perhaps one of the most powerful of all the events in my life.  It was a time when I truly experienced everything I have ever studied about being “one with God”.  And it happened because of the great efforts of so very many people who chose to take a minute, an hour, a day or whatever to stop and just do something because they knew it would be a blessing to someone else.  There were so very many people at Promedica that spent so many hours giving of their time and talents; the pathologists, cytopreps, cytotechs, histologists, secretaries, couriers, biomedical engineers, office managers. Thanks to the Cytology and Anatomic Pathology departments and the pathologists for helping us prepare our supplies for the trip, for processing and reporting the biopsy specimens and for answering our many calls from Guatemala. Without your help and speedy responses we wouldn't have been able to correlate some our findings and treat so many patients.The collaboration with so many at the University of Toledo is a testimony to the power that can be had when people work together.  There were so many individuals who so generously donated financially to make this work happen. Thank you to Zonta International and to the Rotary Club of Toledo.

During this time,  I was still very much “human” with all my usual personality flaws  of which I am so very well aware of. But the difference was that I could forgive even myself for being so short of the greatness of a God who has all the power in His hands.  And I could feel that greatness every day.  What a joy to work with a very gifted and passionate group of people who wanted nothing more than to rise each morning with the sole intent of making someone else’s life a little better. 

We now have great hope that our research and findings will make contributions to eradicate this very curable disease. Last night, Randy and I had the great fortune to meet with Dr. Michael Dean of the NIH as well as a group of very committed and influential Guatemalan people who also want to stop this disease.  They were so excited about our findings and they have high hopes that things will change in the near future. I also give great thanks to Nate, Chad and Brian who took a week away from their families to start working on a documentary that will vividly portray what we are up against.  Thank you Lisa and Lisa and Mani and Chetti and Lauren and Puja for your tireless efforts and love for these women. Extra special thanks to Orfe and Ismael who have the love of God in their hearts and the know-how to have put this all into place! And most of all, thank you Randy for walking with me in all of this and for having so much kindness in your heart and wisdom in your mind.

And here are the players!!!

Sorry for the lack of updates....we've been so incredibly busy day and night.  Nate, Chad and Brian arrived yesterday morning and have already done tons of filming for their documentary about cervical cancer in Guatemala.  As with everyone else on the team, they are so compassionate and committed to improving the lives of the women here.  We're very excited about the impact their documentary might have for advancing this cause in Guatemala.
Yesterday morning. Lauren and I were able to do some minor surgeries in the hospital in Poptun.  I have been trying for years to work within the local health care system so this was a huge step and is a testimony to the great work that Ismael and Orfe have done to gain the trust of the people here.
Everything went so well with the patients and our "film crew" was able to interview the health care director for this region of the Peten as well as the director of the hospital.  They are very interested in us bringing surgical teams down here! I know that there are many doctors and of course, our very favorite nurse anesthetist (Melinda) who have wanted to give of their talents for quite some time.  The patients were very cute....the first asked if I could just go ahead and take out her uterus! When I told her that wasn't what she needed, she started bargaining with me and wanted to know how much it would cost!!  Lauren proved to be a fabulous surgical assistant - she never ceases to amaze me with her talents...
We have continued to find so many problems with this disease.  The women cannot believe that they will actually receive the results the same day.  Puja and Lauren seem to be able to whiz through paps and yet somehow know when a woman needs to really talk about some tragic event in her life. Mani and Chetti work away at that microscope so they can get results out as soon as possible.  Today, it had to be over 90 degrees in that clinic but everyone worked away and the bus load of women were delighted as they left!  Randy runs around making sure that everyone has everything they need. 
Life here is so different.  When we got back to the hotel tonight, I ran out to buy us some popsicles. As I walked down the street, 3 women on the island called out that they were coming to the clinic in the morning for their first pap!  They said they'd get there at 6AM so they could get back to the island to work in their stores.   

To give you a flavor of what it's like doing gynecology here.....look at this woman's thyroid goiter. She came in for a pap and told us this tumor has been growing for many years and no one can tell her what it is.  So later in the day,  I called Dr. John Brunner in Toledo and he gave me some great advice.  We didn't get a hold of her until we were ready to leave our hotel a couple of days later so she came over in a "tuk-tuk"!! We brought her up to our hotel room and after I did a fine needle aspiration, our cytotechs got the slides prepared to make sure we had the cells we needed!!! Not sure that would happen at home! After it was done, I asked her if she had any questions. She just asked if we could give her a dollar for the "tuk-tuk" ride home!