Blog post for February 2010 trip

Hallie's thoughts on the trip.....

My trip to Nicaragua was such a positive experience, one of the best experiences of my life actually. We went down for five days, and so much got packed in during that short amount of time. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have such an influential experience.
Our hotel was conveniently next to the hospital and both were situated in an area of Leon that was close to many street vendors, restaurants, shops, cathedrals, etc. On Wednesday (the day of our arrival) we got situated, met the doctors, nurses, med students and others that would be working with us. We went out to dinner that night to a great restaurant and started learning more about Project Health for Leon and Dr. Parr (the man who started the nonprofit organization).That night Dr. Parr talked to us about the people and the work that is involved with his organization and it was crystal clear how compassionate he is towards the people of Nicaragua and how dedicated he is to this cause. This attitude quickly spread to everyone he was around and he really set the tone for time I was down there.
As far as what we did, well each day we woke up around 5:30am and went for a walk around Leon. We went to a specific street every day where there were many kids playing out in the street (at 6am!!) with no shoes, no toys, and dirt on their bodies. The kids would come up to us and knew we had treats. We handed out toys, shoes, shirts, coins and many other little things that we don’t think twice about having here in the US. They were so grateful and excited! Our walk ended with a nice breakfast and cup of coffee at the hotel and then we headed to the hospital for the rest of the day. The hospital was dirty and not big in comparison to our big hospitals in the states but we had enough space to get everything done. We were in the building by 8am and there was always a huge line of people already waiting for us in the hallway. All day long we scanned patients. The medical students examined them first and obtained their health histories and symptoms. We then scanned the patients with the doctors in the room, so they could make an immediate diagnosis. Some of these patients had pathologies I had never even heard about. There was much pathology I saw that I had read about but never encountered in the US. Many people have asked me if it was really sad and upsetting to see such sick people. However I must say that while it was unfortunate that people had such difficult heart conditions, it was not a sad experience. There was an incredible feeling of hope in the hospital, because these people were getting fantastic care and help from Project Health for Leon. The patients were finally getting answers to why they were having trouble breathing and walking and they were getting solutions to their problems, such as new medications or a pacemaker or some even had surgeries scheduled! So while it is sad that this country has so many people with health issues, the feeling of hope overpowered the sadness. It was amazing to see and be a part of a group where everyone worked together to accomplish such a positive change.
The patients were so grateful for the care that was given. The people that worked with PHL all worked incredibly well together and helped each other out. The country was a beautiful place and I fell in love with the culture we experienced. The learning experience was invaluable for me and I hope to continue to be involved with Project Health for Leon and other organizations that work to provide healthcare to communities in need.

Words from Tracy

It is hard to sort through the flood of new information that hit me while I was in Nicaragua. The rush of little barefoot children trying to wash the windows of our van at stoplights while traveling from the airport was in stark contrast to the quiet of Leon. The country side consisted of Brahma cattle and adobe tile workers set against the dry, brown and yellow grass and trees. It was extremely peaceful. Our hotel was an oasis due to the self refilling refrigerator filled with every kind of beverage. For me, meeting this wonderful group of doctors, medical students, nurses and nursing students, and sonographers was what I needed after the seclusion of studying alone for 6 months. The best part of my day was listening to their stories and eating the local food.
The hospital was another world. Although it is not what we are use to in terms of cleanliness or equipment, it does get the job done. Every morning there are lines of people quietly waiting their turn, and by 3:00 the halls are pretty empty. One day, as we left the hospital, we followed a man carrying a person with a new cast on her leg. It was described to me as a “Nicaraguan wheelchair”. The exam rooms are a marvel of creative curtain hanging and the toilets should be in a horror movie. But when the patient arrives and the doctors start talking I would not want to be anywhere else. The information came at me so fast all, I could do was write down words and phrases to be looked up later. In the first hour I had seen more pathology than I would see in a year at the hospitals at home. At the end of each exam, the patient would systematically shake hands and thank every person in the room. (Not an easy feat, as there were at least 12 people poking and prodding them.) There was always optimism in the air. By the end of my stay, I felt more confident in understanding the big picture of ultrasound. It was definitely worth going.