We did it!

Thursday, February 19, 9:28pm. It doesn't seem possible but we have just culminated a very successful mission here in Guatemala. Access to the Internet has been spotty so you will see some catch-up posts when we return.

The team completed surgical procedures on 39 people, often with multiple procedures on a single individual. This doesn't even count the work done by the dentists on a number of patients who came in for obdurators (a fabricated plate that covers the fissure in a palate) and other strictly dental work. Surgery closed about 3:00 pm and the remainder of the day was spent packing our supplies and equipment for storage until our next visit to Huehuetenango in 2011.

This team was one of the best I have worked with. Comments from some of the team members, old and new, will be posted on this blog. Below are just a couple~

Susan Adamson (left), a nurse at UIHC, is one of our recovery room nurses. Here she is caring for one of our patients and teaching one of our Guatemalan friends, Margery(rt).

This is my second mission and the first in Hue Hue. I am truly amazed and inspired by the teamwork that happens all around me everyday. Most everyone from Iowa Rotarians, Guatemalan Rotarians, physicians, nurses and ancillary personnel has a “can do” spirit. It’s what makes our missions so successful!

I’ve spent the last two years as a Recovery Room nurse and one of my observations is that there is a huge difference in how the post-op patients differ in their experience/expression of pain. It would appear the Guatemalan people either have a high pain threshold or it is in their culture to hide it.

The experiences I have had here are some of the most rewarding of my life. I hope to be able to continue mission work at the same level and am so thankful I have been given this opportunity.

Susan Adamson
Huehuetenango-2009

Mindy Bowen is also a nurse at UIHC and works in
the Recovery Room.







Huehuetenango is now my second mission with the MOST team. These missions have been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I have ever had the pleasure of being involved with. As a nurse you give so much of yourself everyday at your job with little or no words of thanks from the patients or families. Here in Guatemala the thanks are non-stop. I believe it was stated very well last year by Dr. Jodi Jones; she said she believed the difference was “expectation vs. hope”. In the US, we expect that our children’s lips will be repaired. In Guatemala they hope they may have the chance to get their child’s lip and palate repaired. With the MOST mission we are able to answer some of those dreams of hope and the gratitude is overwhelming.
I would recommend to anyone interested in doing something like this to get involved and pursue that interest because you will never regret it. I would like to thank my family for being so understanding of the importance of my being here.
Love you and miss you all
Mindy Bowen