The blood drive

I did quite a few blood transfusions as an emergency nurse in Grand Rapids, but never without some anxiety. With as many precautions that are taken to insure that the blood transfusion will be successful, there are always some risks involved, even if they are rare. I never imagined that I would be doing a blood transfusion working as a nurse in a clinic in Catacamas. I actually don't think that it was ever on the minds of the other staff here either. However, God brings us opportunities to make a difference in ways that we could never imagine and gives us the tools to carry it out.
Angel is a 42 year old man who suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia. It is a difficult disease to deal with in the United States, but in Honduras, it is impossible. Angel's average hemoglobin is 7 which would've gotten me very nervous in the US, but makes me happy to see when looking at Angel's levels. A few months ago, Angel came into the clinic with a hemoglobin of 6. He told us that he had been to the hospital, but hardly made it through the door before being discharged. Angel does not have the money for a blood transfusion nor does he know anyone who would be willing to donate blood for him. It is routine for Angel to be rejected from the hospital.

On this day, however, God was working in the hearts of the staff at El Buen Pastor and the idea, at first, was to find a donor for Angel. As the talk continued, however, we realized that we had all the tools necessary to do the blood transfusion right at the clinic. A lab specialist, Carmen, had just been hired who could help with all the preparations and between one of the doctors and myself, we could perform both the donation and the transfusion for Angel.

On the day of the transfusion, we were all both excited and apprehensive about the procedure. We tested Angel's blood and realized that he is AB+ which means that he can receive blood from any blood type - it's incredible sometimes how God provides for His children - and we didn't have to look hard for a donor. Many of the workers at the clinic stepped up and offered to donate. One of the doctors at the clinic became the donor for Angel. He donated his blood between seeing patients and then the real work began. We needed to get this blood into Angel and hope that none of the many risks that are involved would affect him. In the ER in the United States, the precautions for doing a transfusion involve checking a patient's vital signs every 15 minutes. With Angel, I was checking his vital signs ever 5 minutes due my anxiety, which was always part of performing this procedure, but doubled in this case. The other obstacle that we faced was the blood clotting while it was being transfused. This is usually not an issue in the US because the blood is treated before transfusion. We, however, did not have this luxury and were, therefore, fighting against the blood clotting during the entire procedure. In spite of all this, a few hours after starting, A ngel had his first successful blood transfusion in more than 2 years. It was one of the most amazing days that I have spent at the clinic so far. To be able to make such a difference in someone's life. Angel had gotten so used to being ignored by the medical community and then saw an entire clinic staff surrounding him and giving him a gift that no one else wanted to offer him. What a testimony to God's love and generosity. It is not easy to work at the clinic. Every day there are more and more patients and very few resources. It can become tiring and difficult to continue at times...but moments like these lift our spirits and remind us that God gives strength to those who do not give up.
Galatians 6: 9-10 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people...".

Jenny's chips

While my brother was here visiting in January, we took the bus to Juticalpa - the capital of Olancho. While we were waiting on the bus to return back to Catacamas, a young girl walked on the bus with a tub full of chips that she was selling. She sat down next to my brother and me and started one of the most interesting conversations I have ever had with a 9 year old. Jenny was very articulate, smart and a good conversationalist actually. She told us the story of her life and asked about ours. She discussed her dreams and her desire to learn English someday. She told us that she lived with her "mom" in Juticalpa and sold chips that her "mom" made in the morning. It turns out that Jenny lives with her aunt who she calls "mom". She works from 6am until about 6pm selling chips in different parts of Juticalpa and appears to have a "network" of people that she works with. An older girl was also on the bus selling chips and appeared to be looking out for Jenny as she talked with us.
While we were talking, a woman walked on the bus and Jenny looked startled. She quickly got up and walked to the back of the bus selling her chips. As the woman walked off, Jenny came back and sat down. She said, "Sorry about that...my aunt would've hit me if she saw me just sitting there" - and then she went on with her conversation.
Riding home on the bus that day my brother and I began to talk about children's rights. Not that it hadn't been on our minds before, but now Jenny had put a face with the topic. We talked about the rights that children have and should have and then the amount of children like Jenny who work - not just in Honduras, but around the world. We talked about the amazingly bright future that Jenny could have if only given the chance. It reminded me of when I was living in the Dominican Republic in 1995 - I met a boy named Wellington who was a five year old shoe shine boy. He came into the city on his own every day to shine shoes. My friend and I met him one day as he was trying to enter a bakery. He was quickly told to leave by a security guard at the door. After that, my friend and I would meet him outside the bakery most days and have lunch with him. He made such an impact on our lives that we always talked about how we wanted to make a change in the lives of shoe shine boys and our plans to do it. Fourteen years later, Jenny reminded me that I haven't done much for shoe shine boys, children selling chips on the street or for any type of children's rights around the world.
In Luke 9: 48, Jesus says, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all - he is the greatest." Children are the greatest in Jesus' sight and yet they suffer many types of abuse all over the world. Why does this happen? How can I be impacted by a child like Wellington or Jenny and not do anything to impact their lives? This is the question that I am struggling with. I am thankful for meeting Jenny. She taught me a lot. I cannot forget the image of her selling chips on the bus....such a relatively normal image here in Honduras....but an image that has caused me to stand up, take notice and act.

Transformation

I recently had the privilege of visiting Subirana, which is one of the Honduran reservations for the Indigenous Pech Indians. The Pech are known to be very poor with few resources. We frequently have patients in the clinic who are from this area because they know that they will receive quality care, but more importantly, that they will receive free care. I did not realize, however, until the long drive to their village, how difficult it is just to arrive at the clinic. By car, the drive is approximately three hours. However, since no one in this village owns a car, patients have to get rides from whoever they can and take a number of buses to arrive at the clinic. It is a very difficult journey.

A few months ago, in the afternoon, a mother and her daughter arrived at the clinic. Laylana had been having issues with her kidneys for quite some, had been in the hospital before, and, had been discharged a few weeks before this visit. It was a difficult journey for Laylana and her family to arrive at the clinic that day, but due to her condition, her mother brought her in. Laylana wore a towel around her stomach to keep people from staring at her. If you didn't know better, you would think this little 11 year old was 9 mo. pregnant. Laylana's stomach, as well much of the rest of her body was swollen beyond exaggeration. Laylana was going into renal failure. Laylana was sent to the hospital with a referral from one of our doctors, but not without first praying with Laylana and her family. She spent more than 23 days in the hospital. I was able to return to Subirana with a brigade that was recently here. Laylana greeted me with a huge smile on her face. I hardly recognized her. She is seen here holding a picture of what she once looked like. It is an amazing transformation. She is now a normal, smiling and beautiful 11 year old girl thanks to God's protection and provision.

Washing Maria's feet

John 13:14-17 - "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you".
Maria is one of the most pleasant women I have ever met. She comes into the clinic twice a week to have her bandages changed due to an ulcer that was once so big no one thought she would still have her leg today. Maria sought help for several years for this ulcer - as it grew bigger and bigger as well as more painful. No one could help her. She finally started coming to El Buen Pastor where the doctors were wiling to see what they could do with the ulcer that was eating away at her leg and foot. With some donations from the United States, they began working on healing Maria. I was not working at the clinic when Maria first came in, but I have heard the stories and now see the suprise on the faces of the staff who have been with Maria from the start.
What amazes me in regard to Maria's story, however, is my friend Yadira's servant nature. She has been working with Maria since the beginning, lovingly washing her feet and her wounds and caring for her with a smile on her face. This does not seem so amazing unless I could also describe for you the smell that this ulcer creates when the bandages come off. Most of the staff go running because it is very difficult to be around, but not Yadira. She walks right in the room, always with a smile on her face like she was smelling the most pleasant smell in the world. While others wait for the bandages to be replaced and the smell to subside, Yadira lovingly cares for Maria. Every time I see this interaction, I am reminded of Jesus washing the disciples feet. I'm sure that after walking around in the dust and dirt all day, the disciples' feet did not smell clean and fresh. But Jesus lovingly did a task that to other's seemed "beneath" him. As God's children, we are called to serve others as Jesus did. I am thankful for my reminder of this twice a week as I watch (and sometimes assist) Yadira washing Maria's feet and I am learning from her to serve as Jesus did.