Tuesday came and went in a blur of activity.
Our team was off to a strong start Tuesday morning with patients lined up as we arrived at 7:30am. Our doctors and dentist quickly began seeing patients and the prescriptions began pouring in to the pharmacy.
Every patient seen while our team is here is receiving treatment for parasites, multivitamins and a toothbrush and toothpaste for the entire family, along with any medications prescribed individually by our doctors and dentist. We are giving out a LOT of antibiotics, pain medications and stomach medications. Lack of nutrition, access to clean water and just unclean living conditions lead to infections, and gastro-intestinal illnesses that people just “live with” until a team like ours comes to the clinic and gives them some relief for a few months. The consensus among the team is that this clinic needs to be open more often than it is right now.
By day two we are seeing people travel from much farther away as word of mouth spreads the news that doctors and dentist are here from Canada. We received a visit today from a mom and baby that we saw last year during one of our team visits. Little Pierre who we thought would not make it to the hospital that day last November is thriving and beautiful because our team was here when he needed them and they saved his life.
Our team had a chance to visit some nearby homes and see just how a lot of the people in Croix des Bouquets live. We were so graciously received as people shared their lives with us and we were honoured to be so welcomed.
Tomorrow begins day 3 of our clinic. We are in a groove now and have been able to make some changes and adjustments not just to be more efficient but to be sure each patient we see gets the best care possible and we are doing all we can to help them, heal them and maybe make their lives better even for just a day.
You can’t imagine how rewarding it is for each team member. As we gather around the dinner table in the guest house and share our experiences, everyone realizes how their lives are the ones forever changed by this experience.
note: the signal just is not strong enough to upload all the pictures we have. as soon as we can get access to a stronger wifi signal we can share all the beautiful faces with you.