Surgery in progress

Susan writes:

Our 2014 surgery mission is taking place from May 10 - 19 at the National Hospital in Cojutepeque.  I'm not there this time, so I was thrilled that our good friend and most generous volunteer, Rossy Melara, posted photos from the mission on her FaceBook page. 

That's Darren, our PazSalud Coordinator, on the left; Rossy is in the middle, with Bruce and Terry on the right.  And here's a photo from inside the surgery suite:

I should be able to post more info about the week on Monday, when Darren and Kathy will have a bit more time.  This week, I know from five years' experience, they are completely absorbed in making sure that everything is done just right and in dealing with all the unexpected events that are sure to happen.

The patients this week were recommended for cataract surgery (or in a few cases to have pterygiums, growths from the conjunctiva, removed) by the examining optometrist.  Usually we only have patients from our General Medical Mission, held in San Pedro Perulapán, about a half hour's drive from the hospital, but this year we also have a number of patients from Estanzuelas who were recommended during a Bellingham Lions Eye Screening Mission.  This year marks an important first for us: for the first time, our surgeons will be using a Phaco Emulsifier - the equipment most often used for cataract surgeries in the U.S. - for many of the surgeries. 

Stay tuned for more news from the mission!

Before surgery

Darren writes:

After two group meetings/information sessions with our eye surgery patient candidates the next step for them is to complete the extensive series of pre-surgical exams at The National Hospital of Cojutepeque, the medical center hosting PazSalud for the Eye Surgery Mission on May 12-17.  Since we are only allowed to bring 5 patients per day for pre-exams and we hope to have 65 people participate in the mission, Yessenia - our local coordinator - and I have been slowly working our way through the group for several weeks now. 



Our days begin at 7:00 at the hospital when the group of patients meets with the social worker who helps them with the first step; getting a hospital file.  For many of our patients, this is their first time at the hospital, for some a first contact with Salvadoran doctors.  Connecting Salvadorans with their own government-sponsored, free health care system is one of the beneficial by-products of PazSalud missions.  Once the patients are registered at the hospital, the next step is to have a blood test, followed by a chest x-ray, an EKG and the taking of weights and measurements.  The days usually end by 1:30 with an internist interviewing patients to evaluate their fitness for surgery and so far everyone has qualified.  With a dozen patients to go we hope the streak continues.
 

Scrubs reborn

Darren writes:

A very special thank you goes out to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for donating over 35 new scrubs to PazSalud!  We were recently able to pass on this generous donation to Dr. Alfredo Enrique González, the Director of the National Hospital of Santiago de Maria - where we conducted our 2013 Eye Surgery Mission - who is now able to outfit his entire pediatric department personnel with free scrubs.  It is very common in El Salvador for hospitals to require that their employees purchase their own scrubs which places an extra burden on already stretched paychecks, especially among the lower-paid positions like nurses, techs and maintenance workers.  A donation of scrubs makes a big impact in the lives of individual employees at public hospitals who work tirelessly to care for the poorest people of El Salvador and who make our surgery missions possible.  Thank you PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center!

The photo below shows Dr. González (right) with Marvin Hernandez, who was our great partner in Estanzuelas and in last year's surgery mission in the small National Hospital at Santiago de Maria.

 

Learning and flourishing

Kathy Garcia writes:

On a recent trip to El Salvador I had the opportunity to visit with 12 year old Sandra, one of PazSalud’s special patients. PazSalud first encountered Sandra about two years ago during our general medical mission trip to San Jose Villanueva. When we first met, she was a very shy 10 year old who had been born with arthrogryposis, a condition of weak muscles and inflexible joints. Due to her disabilities, Sandra had never been able to attend school until just over a year ago.

Rosy Melara (on the left in the photo above), a Salvadoran nurse we have worked with for many years, also has a degree in special education, and volunteered to tutor Sandra for several months to get her ready for the Salvadoran school system.  Then she was able to start in a local public school with the aid of a tutor.

Rosy, Darren and I dropped in to visit Sandra at school early one afternoon. It was perfect timing as the kids were on recess. We talked with Sandra’s teacher and her new in-class tutor. Sandra introduced us to the new friends she has made and showed us her workbooks - which were very impressive!  Also, we were able to see the custom built desk that Darren made for her, which adjusts perfectly to her needs.

Although Darren and Rosy visit Sandra on occasion, it had been over a year since I last saw her and the first time for me to see her school. And what a difference a year makes! She’s grown quite a bit, appears to be more confident, smiles often, and is very outgoing. The biggest physical change I noticed was now she can walk flat footed, no longer on her toes as she once did. The twice weekly visits to physical therapy are making a big difference in her abilities.

It was a delight to see Sandra flourishing in school and with her friends.  This is all possible due to a wonderful donor from PeaceHealth who supports the cost of Sandra’s tutor and transportation expenses for her to attend physical therapy. Donors such as this allow PazSalud the opportunity to help foster patients with long term needs.

Getting ready for surgery

After our second meeting with prospective patients on Sunday we now have 51 residents of San Pedro Perulapán confirmed for PazSalud's upcoming surgery mission in May.  It was another great meeting where we got to talk to them about the process, how to prepare and what to expect.  Most importantly, we were there to answer their myriad questions about the surgery and calm their fears and doubts about a surgical experience in a major medical center like Hospital Cojutepeque.  For some of our patients, this will be their very first trip to a hospital for anything, let alone surgery.

Missioning Rosanne

Monday, March 24th was the 34th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero.  As always, there were commemorative marches in San Salvador and elsewhere among Monseñor Romero's beloved people. 

For us in the El Salvador Health Mission, Monday was also memorable because of the missioning of Rosanne Ponzetti as the new System Vice President for Mission Services.  We were especially delighted because Rosanne knows El Salvador through a 2010 Immersion Mission, and she's been a staunch friend of PazSalud since.  Rosanne and her family sponsor one of the children with disabilities we have been assisting.  Now she will be responsible for the overall direction of PazSalud, as well as for mission integration and ethics. 

Here's a photo from the missioning: from left to right, Carol Aaron, SVP for Culture and People; Rosanne; Alan Yordy, CEO and Chief Mission Officer; and Dr. Howard Graman, SVP, CEO and Chief Mission Officer of the PeaceHealth Medical Group.  It gives me joy to point out that every one of them has been part of a PazSalud mission!

Later in the day, Kathy Garcia, Rosanne and I met with Angela Dellinger and Mara Kershaw who are planning PeaceHealth's new leadership development program and want to include an immersion mission in El Salvador, probably beginning in fall, 2015.  It's a great challenge for Kathy and Darren, and I know it will be a life-changing experience for the participants.

Susan Dewitt, CSJP

Adios, Doña Maria de la Paz

We've just learned that Marvin Hernandez' grandmother, Maria de la Paz Hernandez, has passed away.  We feel a special closeness to her because she was first one of our patients in the Estanzuelas Medical Mission in 2013 and then a cataract surgery patient in the National Hospital at Santiago de Maria in May, 2013.  Her grandson, Marvin, was our superb community leader for Estanzuelas, in charge of organizing the volunteers, outreach to the community, and local logistics. 

Here's a photo of Doña Maria de la Paz that Darren sent:

We're glad that Doña Maria de la Paz was able to see her children and grandchildren better during this last year, and we're very grateful that we were able to meet this beautiful woman.