Contribution to Humanity?

It's hard to step away from patient care when it's what really makes my heart sing. Last Friday, Dr. Marvin had an unusual problem he was unable to resolve. A small child had pushed a red bean into her nose. The bean was now well beyond reach, blocking off one side of the child's nose and causing considerable discomfort. Dr. Madrid was performing surgeries on Friday as well. He suggested putting the child under anesthesia to retrieve the bean. The mother was very poor and from a neighboring village. Traveling to San Pedro Sula was not a viable option because of extreme economic difficulties.
Once, I had a child who had a grain of corn stuck in his nose. I had fashioned a small suction device from a catheter, managing to pull the kernel out with the help of a little surgical aspirator. I asked the doctors if I could try to remove the bean in the same way. Neither had any objections. At first, the bean was barely visible so threading the catheter so far into the child's nose was painful for her. None the less, with the help of a little anesthetic spray and suction, the bean readily came into view. After a few tries, the catheter finally latched on to the bean and out it popped...much to everyone's relief. I was glad to see that little girl smile as her "bean saga" came to an end. Although sucking a bean out of a child's nose is hardly the romantic idea I had of missionary life...every drop in the bucket that helps to fill the poor with hope instead of dispair is well worth the effort.

Learning How to Live, Not Just Exist

If there is one thing I want for my employees to learn, it's that life really is worth living...not just surviving! Too many people in Honduras are forced to just exist because of many factors beyond their control. Hondurans, I think, by their very nature are a humble, passive people. I have often observed they are reluctant to take risks. And why should they? After all, risk taking in Honduras could cause a person to loose their life! None the less, today I decided to live a little myself. Dr. Marvin Pineda, the clinic's doctor is a motorcycle enthusiast. I asked him if he would take me up to the clinic this morning on his motorcycle. He laughed a little bit surprised that his boss wanted to try her luck out on the dirt roads of this Honduran mountain in western Santa Barbara. The trip was amazing. I had forgotten how wonderful the rainforest smells and how beautiful the birds songs are. Always in such a hurry to get to work, I too had forgotten to live.

As the employees giggled and chucked, I couldn't help but notice even perhaps a glimmer of envy in the nurses eyes as I pulled into the project on the back of Marvin's bike. God forbid that this lost "Dorothy" from Kansas break the rules for being the ever prim and proper example of femininity. When I am gone from this place, and my nurses are all grandmothers who tell their grandchildren about the crazy gringa with whom they worked so many years ago, I hope they will remember me not only for my quirks, but as a woman who taught them that life, most certainly is a ride to be enjoyed! Blessings, Lisa

Gunshots are just a part of life in this remote mountain. Sometimes, it is an accident, but most of the time it's due to crime. Once in a while, it's even due to vengence. In a place where there is no police presence, people often take the law into their own hands. On Friday, a fifty-something woman came to the clinic after having been shot in the right thigh the night before on her way home from church. She couldn't or wouldn't give very many details about the accident. For whatever reason, she seemed to be frightened.

Thankfully, the bullet did not touch any important structures. It only did a small amount of soft tissue damage, finally coming to rest just below the skin's surface. It was relatively easy to remove the bullet, then the wound was thoroughly cleaned and damaged tissue removed.



After that, a drain was placed and the entry wound was closed. This quiet woman from the mountain smiled after it was all over and promised to return on Monday to take out the drain and check for any signs of infection.


She returned as promised today. the drain was removed. The wound is healing nicely. The woman's only request was a before picture of her leg with the gunshot wound so that she could show her pastor the lengths she is willing to go, to be present at church. Nothing like living in the wild, wild west ... of Honduras that is!