Once...Twice, maybe Three times in a Lifetime.

I have had the priviledge of participating in a wonderfully fufilling medical mission this past week until the coming Wednesday. I cant even begin to adequately explain how I feel about the whole experience... But I will try.

To be able to efficiently communicate with people who need life saving operations is something that I never signed up for, but it is possibly one of the most elating experiences I will ever feel in my life. I was told by a friend of mine Rachelle that her Uncle and Aunt come to Las Matas de Farfan every year with a medical team to do operations here. Now I live only about 8km from Las Matas and was just happy to have Rachelle come out to visit me and the helping at the hospital was just an after thought. It turned out that it became a very full time committment and was worth every second. We went in on Monday the 9th at 8 am and begma with translation for the American Nurses and their patients in Pre-Op. This entailed asking when they had last eaten, if they had allergies, took medication, checking blood pressure and adminstering an IV...as well as re-assuring them that everyting would be fine, as they are not used to recieving this medical treatment ever. Many needed to have the process explained before feeling relaxed and able to give their well-being over to another group of persons that they had never even met before and were neither able to speak with eachother to communicate pain, issues, and joys.

The Day was busy and passed quickly as we left that evening at 5pm. Rachelle and I went back to my Campo and cooked Dinner and watched a movie on the Computer. The next day was the best yet as I recieved a "promotion" more or less to help with translation in the Operating room. Now I was usually wearing medical scrubs and walking around checking on all the patients, which led to many thinking that I was a Doctor who was able to admit them and prescibe them medicine...which I became slightly perterbed with the amount of people whom were approaching me to fix every problem, of which none I could very much about. But that comes with the skin and the language abilities i suppose...

Anyways, I was asked into the operating room to reassure patients that were being put to sleep, that every thing would be normal and fine and there is no need to worry bc these doctors knew what they were doing, etc... This meant that I thouroughly cleaned every exposed inch of skin and wore the whoel nine yards of cap, cloves, booties, and so on...Once in there I was instructed to keep my hands in front of me and touch nothing. I translated for the doctors and vice versa for the patients to help everyone understand eachother. Once they were asleep and dreaming, the doctors were so kind to explain and show me the process by which they were operating. This led to the chance to participate in the surgery by holding instruments in order to help keep the incision open so that the Surgeon was ablr to cut away the tumor, gall bladder, lump... I could see the fat, muscle, bladder, stomach, liver and all the in betweens. I then was able to feel these parts and the gall bladder that we were removing. How absolutely incredible. There is no way for me to explain how it felt then or after and since. The hands of surgeons are truly the hands of god in many ways. The removedness of the whole thing is what got me so good. It felt as if I were in a completely different reality. I mean its not every day that you get to be a third year medical student doing surgery for the first time in your life. Wow.

Well we headed up to La Guama and stayed with my friend Jay up there and visited and ate together. This was Rachelle's first time visiting out this way...so I thought i should show her around and not just work at the Hospital all day. We did work until Wed. Evening and then had dinner with the group at there "camp". I cannot say no to free food when I am living here! I was pleased to meet everyone and get to know here Aunt and Uncle better too. The best part of the night was whne the shared some of their experiences thus far and I seemed to be the highlight of the night...or atleast the Peanut Butter that I make with my Womens group was. I had been selling it to the med team and Rachelle's Uncle had bought the whole box from me! Well he couldn't exactly eat it all, so he chose to give it to the field doctors who went out each day to different areas to see if anyone there needed med assistance. It turns out they were in a poor part of where I live and thought to themselves well we could use that Peanut Butter that was brought back to help nourish these children whom are showing al signs of not recieving proper nutrition. They gave away every bottle of peanut butter citing its nutritional exceptionallity as it has high levels of Protien, Oils, Sugars and Salts that are essential parts that are missing from the diet here. I was nearly overcome with the way things seemed to be working and the thanks and praise I was recieving for having been in the right place at the right time. I feel blessed to have been part of helping improve someones situation. I just know that it takes a team of people to do it. I cant give the PB away and I cant buy it all on my small stipend, but if I could I would and help all those who need to eat it to improve their health. It just so happens there was a team of people who could do just that and happened to care enough to do it. We were all blessed that day.

So we took the day off on Thurs to go back up to Jays house which doesnt have running water or Electricity. He had boughten a Wild Horse the other day and was working on our Garden that we are starting. I had some seeds brought to me by my Friend Steven Dodrill and we are using those and some others we have dried to start our 30 x 20 garden. It should be hard work, but with a little rain we will have fresh produce for quite some time to come.

Rachelle left on Friday morning and I headed back to the hospital to continue helping. All the same but so nice to be able to do it. Sat for half a day and Sun I was able to attend a small Church service they had in English! and had communion too. Very nice, as I havent done this in almost a year it seems like. It was very refreshing to be able to participate in that. I ate lunch and talked about my experiences with them and what have you...The people that left on Sat were so kind to leave me Beef Jerky, Tuna, Granola, Candy, NEW UNDERWEAR, and new friendships.

I will continue this week helping them until they leave on Wed to head back to the states. But the funny part is those of them that return next year will be able to see me again, as I will still be kickin it and doing my thing here! I hope this next week is just as great as the last and want to express to them that my admiration for what they are doing and do is bigger than words and I always will be thankful to have helped with whatever I was able to.

As for me, its been invaluable. I have been able to show my friends and neighbors that I am capable of helping them in ways that arent always physical and monetary, and bc of it have formed very good realtionships with people whom are never going to forget the time that the tumor was removed from their body by an amazingly goofy PC volunteer and a wonderfully gifted and caring team of Americans, the truest and best form of Americans, who realize that the world is bigger than just me and my house, car and money. Americans who make me proud to be one.

Jefe