2010 Mission Trip to Guatemala
To start our day we had a delicious breakfast and headed on the school bus to the Children’s Hospital. Once we arrived at the hospital the guard was not sure if he could let us through the gate. After 10 minutes of blocking all traffic we ended up backing through 8 lanes of traffic (traveling both ways) needless to say anyone in the 8 lanes of traffic was late to work… BEEEEEP is all we heard!! Although passengers were very worried we made it through safely with no casualties. 

The nurses, aka Beth et. al., were pleasantly surprised to see some of the technological advancements such as ventilators, monitors and IV drips. They also noticed the cultural differences with patient care and roles within the hospital. The 12 bed ICU had many patients were on ventilators, monitors, or had tracheotomies. Visiting hours were restricted to 1 hour a day by only one parent. The majority of their time was spent feeding and comforting the children as well as assisting fellow nurses and doctors.

In the OT clinic we interacted with children diagnosed with CP, brain injury, spasticity, and malnourishment. Both inpatient and outpatient are in the OT clinic. Individuals in inpatient care can stay at the hospital up to a year as long as they are making progress. Other individuals treated receive outpatient rehabilitation treatment. We collaborated with the Guatemalan OTs on the patient’s treatment plans. They were eager to receive our suggestions on treatment techniques and modifications. The therapists allowed us to evaluate and assist in treatment of each patient. Translators were very helpful when working with the OTs as well as working with the patients. To conclude our day at the hospital we observed the OT making a resting hand splint for a child with spasticity. After a long day of learning and experiencing the Guatemalan culture and way of treating we headed back to the Nazarene Center for a break.

Once we returned we noticed a local merchandiser with handmade Guatemalan goods. As girls we took advantage of the opportunity to shop and were excited to buy some souvenirs. After leisure time, we headed up to dinner to eat another great meal provided by the Nazarene Center. Once dinner was concluded we debriefed our experiences and headed for some more leisure time to get to know fellow team members. Now off to bed to rest for another full day.

P.S. To all mom’s no one has gotten sick thus far.