I Love Me Some Park

Every time I go to a Park I need to see and do everything. So after the photo session our first stop is the goat pen. We bought up all the bottles of milk they had, and tried to keep our fingers intact while the kids drank.

Next stop, the zip line. They didn't have a roller coaster and you know how I love speed. I'm riding with

Courtney, the brains behind keeping "Hands ATA" organized, Tom Crusse, the funniest nurse I have ever met, and Dr. David of Ob/Gyn fame. Now Jose (Donna's husband), took some great videos of our ride but after many failed attempts to upload them you'll just have to read about it.

We went up backwards in groups of 4. Courtney lost a tennis shoe on the way up. Our poor tour guide,(the same that just took a single photo on 47 cameras) made a retrieval that would have put Spiderman to shame. I luckily took off my flip flops before the ride up. On the way down speed would pick up and at the very end they had this giant soft mat that stopped the ride with a tremendous splat. Now some of the more cautious riders, DAVID, would use the hand brake and not splat the mat at all. I, on the other hand, made such a splat that if I had been a balloon filled with paint, I would have turned the canyon into a Jackson Pollack painting. The adoring crowd gave my run a 10. My neck, my neck.

Ride to the Park

The mission is now over, but the Governor's Office has planned a trip to the National Park for the volunteers, interpreters and everyone else involved in it. We are headed up a very winding road with breath taking views. The problem with most modes of transportation is you only get the left view or the right view. I of course solved that problem by calling "Shotgun"(one of the many advantages of growing up in a family of 8). I am sitting in a jump seat at the very front of the bus with a panoramic view, it was truly incredible.

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We all got together for the group shot. Now this shot was taken by our tour guide. He took this shot with every single one of our cameras. Unfortunately he had my camera, because that would have been the shot to get. He had 6 or 7 cameras hanging on each of his arms and about 15 sitting in front of him. This process only took about an hour and a half. Uuuuggghhh!

Introduction Interruption

We interrupt this all important vacation blog to introduce the latest member of my family.

A client came into my shop last week and told me this little guy spent all day in his crate while his mom went to school and took care of an 11 month old. He was really looking for a good home. I should preface this by telling you that just last week I told my sisters, Kris and Kathy that after Bear and Harper went over the Rainbow Bridge, I was not going to get another dog. Kris and Kathy both said,"Yeah, Right". They don't know everything!

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Anyway, I now have a 2 year old Pug named Brewster.

Debriefing

After a full and final day we all met in our conference room for a run down on the entire mission. What everyone thought could have been done differently, or more efficiently.
This being alot of our first mission we had nothing to compare it to. Hector having been on close to 20 missions, ranked it A-. There were a few things that could have been improved, but with what we had, all in all it was a top ranked mission. I'm sure my being in the pharmacy had alot to do with it being ranked so highly. After the debriefing we were all pretty well spent so opted for dinner at "The Club" that night. Tomorrow we go Colombia's version of the Grand Canyon.

Final Day

I did so well in Ob-Gyn/Pediatrics that I am back in the pharmacy today. It was nice being among the patients, but I really think I would have been more help if I spoke Spanish. I mean how many times can a person say,"No hablo espanol"?

Outside the pharmacy there were 2 new wheelchairs to be given to 2 more patients in need. The Diamond's bought 6 wheelchairs in total throughout the entire mission.

One of the boys was perfectly normal 3 years ago. He was involved in a motorcycle accident and suffered permanent brain damage along with a spinal injury. His mother was overwhelmed by the selfless gesture of "Hands Across the Americas". It was such a moment that I felt I was intruding by taking photos. Donna saw her first leprosy patient, Hector was asked to assist with a difficult surgery, a woman was left displaced after guerrilla's killed her son and husband, a child whose eyes don't focus after a fall 10 months ago, a couple with HIV, a woman with a cancerous cyst the size of a basketball. The stories were many and filled with sorrow. It was an experience I will not soon forget.

Fascination

After lunch, Hector, one of the Ob/Gyn's, surprised me by inviting me in to see what a prolapsed uterus looked like. Now if any of you every have a chance to see this, jump at it. Hector not only let me look on, he explained all the different parts of it (sorry, no photos) and really made me feel like part of it. I don't know that I'll be enrolling in med school, but it was fascinating. I continually thanked him for the rest of the day.

Throughout our entire mission, there was a group that entertained the children, because let's face it, it's just no fun to sit and wait. This group did everything from reading book, to making clay animals, and games galore. My favorite was the big headed guy in hot pink. I don't have a clue as to what he was saying, but the children were all ears and eyes. Is there anything better in the world than a child's laughter?

At the end of the day the gang went to a Steak House for dinner, but after 9 hours on my feet I opted for a book and bed. All the reviews on dinner were, "I should have gone". I still think I made the right decision, for me.

New Position

We are starting our 4th day and headed to a new location. Today and Tomorrow we will be at Hospital del Norte UNIMIST. I also have a new location, after 3 days in the pharmacy, Giselle has put my in Ob-Gyn/Pediatrics. She wanted everyone to get a taste of everything, it also got me closer to the human side.
Basically, my duty here was to keep the patients in order and call them into the respective doctors office once the patient in front of them had exited the room. Easy enough, right. Well taking French in school, I was not familiar with the Spanish alphabet. J's are silent, G's are soft, double L's are Y's, e's are i's and the list continues. Also in the Latin American community they have 2 first names, as well as 2 last names. They keep their mothers surname as well as their fathers. So my calling patient names out became a free for all. I can only compare it to a substitute teacher doing role call and the entire class letting her know each and every mispronounced name. Id like to take this time to make amends to all those substitutes. I also had to keep seperate the Ob patients from the pediatric patients, add family practice patients to the lot and it would have helped to have 2 more hands. I was really missing the pharmacy about now.
Something anyone who goes to a South American country would be blind not to notice, is the woman there dress very differently than the women in the States. One of the doctors called it a breastfest. Not only is everyone in tank or stapless tops, they wear 3-5inch heels with everything. It is actually a very sexy look, no matter how impractical. I understand the small tops because of the heat, but the heels, I don't know that I'll ever get.

Day Off

Okay, I've been at this for 3 hours and I'm going home. The moral of this story is get a laptop, so you can keep up while your away.

Lights, Camera, Action.

After a full morning of emotions, news crews arrive along with the Governor of Santander. Many of the "Hands Across the Americas" staff were interviewed. The Diamond's as well as Giselle were among them. Giselle (here with Tom Crusse) was the nurse that made this mission a reality. She was born and raised in Bucaramunga, and knew the need for medical help in this area. Giselle put her heart and soul into the planning. Because of her passion, we all wanted to make it the best mission possible. She is truly an inspiration and a life long friend. Today's patient count was 190, it was a different scale of patient, but none the less rewarding.

We were back at "The Club" by 6:00 this evening, so I had time to swim some laps before dinner.

Tonight we went to an amazing restaurant that overlooked the city and had some of the best pizza I've ever eaten.

We were ferried home by a friend of Giselle's who just bought a brand new bus for his company. We enjoyed the comfort this luxury bus all the way home, so what if the plastic was still on the seats and the downhill was a little slippery. When we got back to our room we turned the TV on just in time to see Jose doing his thing at the Hospital that afternoon.

Much Needed Help

A pair of sisters came to the Hospital today to have their mother checked. She was very old and had not been able to move around on her own for the past 10 years. The 2 sisters had carried their mother everywhere. Lifting her from chair, to bed, to bath and anywhere else she needed to go. Ten Years. The Diamonds bought the girls a wheelchair for their mother. It was truly one of the most emotional times of the mission for me. I only wish I could explain the gratitude in the girls faces. It was priceless.

New President, New Location

It's day three of our mission and we are at a new location. Today we are working from Hospital Universitario, that's University Hospital for those of you not as fluent in Spanish as me.We start the day by deciding what goes where, and then we're off. I am in the pharmacy for a 3rd day and I'm thrilled. Today I'm working with the boys. Bob, Steve and Mick. Growing up with 5 brothers, I'm right at home with the boys. We set the pharmacy up in a square and put a man on each section. We now have the perfect team for Pharmacy Baseball, with Mick in the catcher position, so he can check and sign off his teammates pill packets. I haven't had this much fun with drugs since Rehab.

The Hospital knew that Tuesday, January 20th was a very special day for Americans. They arranged to have a TV brought in, so we could watch portions of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. The emotion and gratitude was overwhelming.

Part Deux, Dia Dos

When we came back from our afternoon respite, we saw that the line to the clinic was doubled in size from that morning.

I want to give you an idea of how the patients were processed. They were first seen by the triage nurse, their information was taken and written on their chart. Depending on the problem they were sent to see a doctor, this is generally where the bottle neck occurred. 345 patients, 5 doctors, even I can do the math. ALOT of patients.

After the doctor sees them and prescribes the meds, they come to the pharmacy. We fill the prescription, then they see a discharge nurse to explain the taking of meds and aftercare. If the problem was severe, and there were many, they had to see a local official about follow up. This is where it get fuzzy for me. Their medical system is very different from ours, so I won't even try to explain it.
It was so very hot, so for some the rain that came that afternoon was a blessing. The room where all the patients waited was jam packed. The only thing that comes to mind is a sweat lodge.

They finally cut the line off at 3:30, but with all the patients still to be seen, we did not finish up until close to 7:30. By the time the bus brought us back to "The Club", Donna, Jose and I ordered a pizza to be delivered and crawled to our room.

Blah, blah,blah

I've decided to come in early Sunday morning to try to finish up my vacation blog, so I can fill you in on what's going on in my real world. Oh, yes early morning the day after Valentine's Day, that should tell you how my Heart Day went. Don't forget to stroll down and start at the beginning. You don't want to miss out on this action packed story.

Lunch

During our lunch hour, a group of us walked a few blocks to the town square. The city of Giron is really lovely. It's cobbled streets and lazy atmosphere takes you back in time. It is centered by a garden park where a group of us all took in the fresh air.

Day Two, Number of Patients 345

Upon arriving at the clinic today we were meet with a line that stretched around the block.
As we got off the bus, we rolled up our sleeves and got down to business.
My 2nd day would be spent in the pharmacy again, my comfort level was continually on the rise there. I actually was learning the difference between Acetaminophen and Antacid, and just because they both start with A does not mean they are interchangeable. I was also learning about milligrams and dosage. It was really interesting.
Donna was in discharge and I got to listen in on some of her instruction to patients. After 1 month of no medical attention this is what a 15 year old girl was facing. It's hard to believe this started as a bug bite. Donna let her know in no uncertain terms that she would lose her foot if she did not take care of it. Of course Donna told her in a much nicer manner. I guess my bedside manner would need a little work if I plan to become the next Mother Theresa. There was a constant flow of patients until we took a break for lunch. Diabetes and parasites seemed to be the main diagnosis, but there were so many stories that words fail me.

Ravens vs Steelers

So our first day in the trenches is over. We arrived at 7:30am and are leaving at 6:30pm. I am running on empty but the Ravens are in the playoffs. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I usually hit the wall at 4:00, but in Colombia I have been introduced to "tinto". At the clinic, around 3:00pm, these uniformed ladies came from out of nowhere with trays full of small cups of coffee with sugar already mixed in. These cups could not have been more than a swallow or two, but boy did they pack a punch. We love tinto. After 3 tintos I was ready for an 8:00 game.
Now let me introduce the founders of "Hands Across the Americas". This is Jen and Steve Diamond. They are the salt of the earth. They were so down to earth and so passionate about everything connected to their mission work. To show their gratitude to everyone connected with the group they planned a Ravens-Steelers party back at the "Club". It was wonderful. After a full day of work it was so nice to unwind with the people who had been through what you just had. There was a full spread of all the local delicacies and because of "tinto" I was able to stay awake to enjoy them. Okay, so I left after the 1st quarter, it was 9:00pm and we have to do this again tomorrow. Good night.

The Party's Over

Sunday, January 18th, day one of the real mission work. We are working out of the local library, which has been converted into our clinic for the next 2 days. Now this is not the library that you and I are familiar with. It was very basic. No computers, no wi-fi, no videos, actually none of the things we are surrounded with in the States. I can pretty much guarantee no best sellers from the New York Times were on the shelves, but we're not here to read.

My first assigned duty was in the pharmacy. How's that for putting the fox in the hen house? haha I am joined by Estelle (the one in glasses), another volunteer from Pikesville, and Mick a pediatric orthopedic surgeon(pictured here with Sergio, my dance partner from the night before). Since this was not a surgical mission his expertise was needed in the pharmacy. Mick checked all the meds dispensed before they were given to the nurse in dispatch with instructions. Our pharmacy was set up in the same room as dispatch, which made it very convenient.

That first day the doctors and nurses saw 287 patients. That may not seem like alot, but you have to realize there were only 5 doctors and 1 Nurse Practitioner. The stories they heard and things they saw were heartbreaking. They all worked very hard, it was a team effort. One I was very proud to be apart of.

City, State and Country

This was new to me, so I thought I'd share it with all my devoted readers. We all know South America is a Continent and Colombia is a Country. But did you know Santander is a state, and Bucaramanga and Giron are cities. Well... here we are in Giron celebrating the culture of the city. This starts with some speeches and a film. We then listen to the anthems, not just of the Country, but of the state and city. Now I am all for patriotism, but were all 5 verses of each anthem really necessary. Do you know your city's song? I felt like a little kid at midnight mass not believing Silent Night had that many verses. What seemed like an hour later we ate and watched the native dances of Colombia preformed by a group of the local students. This was very enjoyable and once the show was over we were all invited onto the dance floor to join in the festivities.Donna and Jose cut a beautiful rug. I am dancing with Sergio, he was our local affiliate who supplied all the translators for the entire mission. He runs a language school and assures me a job if I decide South America is calling me. He and his entire staff were
invaluable. We danced the night away. This road to sainthood is not half bad. haha

Last Hurrah.

I know it's hard to believe we've been in Colombia for 2 days now and still haven't started seeing patients. Tomorrow I promise. Today we start with a round of yoga, led by Megan. Now don't let that pretty smile of Megan's fool you. When Donna and I joined the other 3 participants we expected a nice round of beginners yoga, maybe some sun salutations. NOT. I think Megan may have a black belt in yoga. Some of the positions she was getting into, I have only seen done by Chinese circus performers. Needless to say Donna and I sat a few positions out. After an hour with Megan I decided swimming laps would be my exercise of choice for the rest of my stay. After a day by the pool, the town of Giron invited us for an evening of entertainment. Giron would be where we spend the first 2 days of "Terry's road to Sainthood".
For our entire stay during the mission whenever we loaded onto the bus we were given a police escort. I'm really not sure why, but we were, courtesy of the governor's office. When I told the boy's (and girl) in green it was for the blog, this is what I got. The sacrifices I make for my blog to come to life. haha

Pill Counting

After getting to know a little bit about everyone, it's time to start separating all the meds that we brought into Colombia. Antacids, heart meds, vitamins, they just scratch the surface. Six, 8ft. tables were lined up and then all the meds were put in order. After that is finished, the fun really starts. We now take the pills and count out what the average dosage would be and put them in seperate baggies. This is so the pharmacy doesn't have to do it at the time of discharge. It just makes the process go a little smoother. I know this from personal experience since the pharmacy was my main station. Once the pills are divided up all the baggies need labels. Now a stamp was made for the labels, but after a few smearings of said labels, the labels had to be handwritten. This was a group effort, and everyone got to know each other a little more.

Life at the Club

When I signed up for this mission I had no idea that our base camp would be a Country Club, not that I'm complaining mind you. Not only did we have a pristine pool to swim laps in, but an 18 hole golf course and every other amenity that goes with the Country Club life style. All the veterans of previous missions, called ours,"Mission Lite". Well, if I can make Sainthood lying by a pool who am I to interfere with God's plan. haha Not only am I laying by the pool, I'm laying next to Tom Crusse. Yes, you read correctly and No, I did not misspell his name. Tom Crusse was one of the nurses on the mission and he and I became fast friends. We hung out at the pool until around 2:00, showered and meet as an entire group for the first time. We sat around in a circle got to know a little about everyone. We've got quite a cast of characters. It's going to be a great week.

Donna Gets Busted

Okay, so we make it to Panama, it's about 1:15pm. Now, throughout the entire getting ready for this trip, Donna would joke."that we are the only people smuggling drugs into Colombia". Well guess who's bags got searched in Panama. I thought it was so funny I asked the uniformed gentleman doing the searching if I could take a picture. Of course speaking nada Spanish, I used the universal sign language of camera in hand and pointed to the open drug bag for an okay. He shook his head in the universal yes sign, so I snap away. No sooner do I take the 2nd photo than someone of obvious authority comes up and shakes her head in the universal no, so I delete the 2nd photo in front of her, little did she know about the 1st photo. After Jose gives me a short talking to about never taking pictures in the customs area, we recheck our bags and continue our journey. Nothing like a little excitement to get the blood flowing. We're now off to Bogota, then on to Bucaramunga. When we get to the airport at our final destination, Giselle, the leader of the mission, has an army of her friend and family at the airport to take us all to our base camp for the extension of our stay. Checking in 16 hours after our departure was such a relief that when I was charged 200 million something or others for our room, I didn't bat an eye. Decline didn't come up when they ran my card, and just think of the points. That night I slept like a baby.

Full Day of Travel

I have set my alarm for midnight and unlike most people, I've already had 5 hours of sleep. I jump in the shower, towel off and throw the last few things in my bag. This includes among other things the final book in the "Twilight" series. Now this is no small book, and I tried to finish it before heading out just to avoid the extra weight, no such luck. After locking everything up nice and tight I walk to Donna and Jose's house for our 1:30am shuttle pickup. We get to Dulles at about 2:40 am, and pretty much own the airport. We get checked in and board our flight at 4:45am for a 5:45am departure. So far, so good. I put my shade down and open "Breaking Dawn". The plane taxis away from the gate, here we go. NOT. The snow is coming down pretty hard, so we have to pull back to the gate for deicing. No big deal, deicing shouldn't take longer than 25 minutes, tops. We've got an hour for our connection in Panama. While we pull in for deicing the Captain comes on and says there is a mechanical problem that needs to be checked out. Something one always loves to hear before take off. 2 and a half hours later, and one 5 pound book finished wheels are up. So much for our connection.