Health Talents International - Guatemala!

Last spring my dad and brother decided to go on a trip to Guatemala with Health Talents International. It was organized by my parent's church, Journey Christian Church. They tried to talk me into it but I didn't feel like I could leave the kids for 8 days and travel to another country. I had a lot of excuses. 

In June the Journey church family was amazing to our family - their pastors were at our house praying with us, people were bringing food, they were doing whatever we needed. When Michelle Young (the nurse in charge of the trip) brought over a meal I talked with her and I just knew that I needed to go to Guatemala and take Matthew's place. His selflessness and desire to help people is what got me there and I'm so thankful. It was an amazing trip and it renewed my passion for missions and healthcare. 

The last time I was in Central America was my senior year of college when I spent a quarter in Costa Rica with my nursing program. We traveled all over the country - running clinics on the beach and hiking to remote mountain villages to provide medical care. When I left I couldn't wait to go back and it's taken me over 8 years! 

This trip focused on performing eye surgeries for those who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it. We also went with two family practice physicians who came to run mobile medical clinics in the community. In the process of getting ready to go they determined that in order for it to be the most beneficial the clinic in Guatemala needed a new microscope for the surgeries. Thanks to hard work by a lot of people we were able to purchase a used scope and send it ahead of us to the clinic. 

At the Young's house, getting ready to leave for the airport on November 11th @ 2:45am. 

On the plane, bright and early!

When we arrived at the airport in Guatemala City my dad was of course stopped at customs. He was carrying parts to the microscope, worth thousands of dollars, but because it was donated they let him through. It took a while though and it made me a little nervous! 

Our team leader, Julie, was at the airport with a bus and a truck to pick us up. We all checked at least one bag with medical supplies so we had a lot of luggage.

Clinica Ezell, our home for the week! I actually didn't see the outside of the clinic until Wednesday afternoon - we drove up in the dark and I didn't leave the hospital for the first few days. :)

Surrounding this courtyard were our rooms for the week. It was a really nice building. 

The scrub room - we only brought one change of clothes and wore scrubs the rest of the time. 

The guys got right to work checking out the new microscope and making sure it got put together right.

After checking out the new scope my dad decided he would get out the old scope we weren't planning on using - got it in working order too!

Dr. Jeff Weeks, the opthamologist who came from Greeley, got right to work Sunday night! 

Items that we helped to distribute through Health Talent's ABC program - a program where people support a child by donating $30 a month for them to attend school, provide them with healthy food and other necessary items. 

I was a little curious about what I would be doing to help with cataract surgeries since I am an OB nurse! I had to learn quickly and it turned out to be an amazing surgery to be a part of. I mostly circulated in the OR but Dr. Weeks was nice enough to tolerate me as his surgical tech a few times. :)

A beautiful image and so representative of the hearts of the Guatemalan people! They were so thankful.

This was one of my favorite moments from the week - this man wanted to sit up and give Dr. Weeks a hug he was so happy after his surgery. He told him, "Dios le bendiga" which means "God bless you."

One of the days my dad joined Dr. Scott Haskins and Gabino on a mobile medical trip out in the community. He had a great time.

This is what others were doing while we were in the OR all week - counting out some of the medicine we had brought and separating it into packets to give out.

The clinic's hospital ward. In the United States cataract surgeries are outpatient procedures but in Guatemala we kept them overnight so that their post-op appointment could be the next morning and to limit the risk of infection. 

One of our translators, Diana, praying with a patient in pre-op.

Someone decided to take a picture of one of the cataracts the surgeons removed. Nathan said I shouldn't post this picture but I thought it might be educational. :)  Most of the people could only see hand motion before surgery because their cataracts were so advanced. 

Fixing another microscope from the optometrist office. My dad gained quite the reputation during the week. By the end people were saying, "Get Tim! He can fix anything!" :)

Patients waiting to be seen the morning after their surgeries.

It was amazing to witness the change in the patients' vision! So incredible to be a part of!

On Wednesday our surgery team was getting a little stir crazy so over our lunch break my dad took us to a bridge in the town where the clinic is located. We were chased down by a group of kids and I spent most of the time talking with them. (My spanish came back some so I could kind of get by)

This is the bridge - a suspension bridge over a river - and yes, we crossed it. The kids thought it was funny to jump and swing it while I was on it - I played along but it did kind of freak me out. 

The most incredible part of our 30 minute excursion was that one of the children who I was talking to started asking me questions about what we were doing at the clinic. He asked if we were helping with the eye surgeries and I told him we were. Then he told me that his mom was one of our patients - she was our youngest patient of the week, only 30, and we had done her cataract surgery that morning! He's the little boy in the yellow and his name is Henri. :) I shared the picture and the story with his mother when we got back to the clinic and she told me it was a miracle that I met him and she was really happy he asked about how she was doing. 

My dad spent a lot of time here, sterilizing all of the surgical instruments.

Fixing the autoclave. :) See why he got a reputation? 

One of the last days my dad asked Jason (our fantastic surgical tech - the only one other than the surgeons who knew what he was doing) if he could watch one of the surgeries. Jason asked him if he wanted to scrub in and of course he said yes - only in Guatemala. :)

Thursday morning my dad and I had the opportunity to head out for a few hours to distribute supplies and food at a church. The young lady on the right has a son who had eye surgery at the clinic in September when the pediatric team was there. 

We hiked to a waterfall while we were there, it was about 10 minutes from the church.

When the organizers of our trip were getting together the money for the new microscope my parents decided to donate some of the money from Matthew's memorial fund. Another member of our team, Diana, donated money in her grandmother Victoria's name. The microscope was dedicated in their memories, along with Ryan Weeks, Dr. Jeff Weeks' son who passed away 3 years ago.

Matthew's favorite verse, Matthew 5:16 is on the right side of the plaque. The eagle in the picture is representative of Ryan for the Weeks' family.

They placed the plaque on the wall between the two operating rooms.

They also made a plaque to go on the bottom of the scope itself.

This was right after the last surgery of the week, notice everyone with coffee in hand!

 59 eye surgeries done! They were mostly cataract surgeries which gave sight to the blind!

After we were done Friday afternoon we went for a trip back to the waterfall. This is my roomie for the week, Michelle Young - RN extraordinaire! I don't know if I could've gotten through the week without her.

My Dad and Jeff Weeks. What an amazing blessing the Weeks family has been to us as we journey through our grief after losing Matthew. 

Our team with the microscope before leaving on Saturday.

My new friend Sylvia, who works and lives with her family at the clinic. We bonded over motherhood - she has a little boy Henry's age and she couldn't believe I left my two kids to come to Guatemala for a week. She offered to let me use her phone to call home several times but it was always after I knew the kids would be in bed anyway :)

Saturday we spent an afternoon and evening in Antigua. It was a beautiful city, surrounded by three volcanoes! 

There were lots of old ruins around the city.

Dad and I rode in a tuk tuk - a three wheeled taxi - a couple times while we were there.

Saturday afternoon dad and I tried to get more people to join us but we ended up going zip lining on our own! It was SO fun! 

The ruins behind our hotel, they were having a wedding reception in it!

Thank you to everyone who supported my dad and I financially and through your prayers! We can't wait to go again and wish we could take everyone we know with us.