Ripple Effect

Hey Guys!

If  you get a chance you should check out the website http://rippleeffectimages.org/ this is the talent that we have volunteering their time with us! They have been able to capture some of the best photos that I have ever seen!

The team that we have are two women Kirsten Johnson and Lynn Johnson. They are not related they are affectionately referred to as the Johnson's :) both women have been able to accomplish a number of extraordinary accolades for their work. Kirsten is up for an Oscar this year on here documentary that deals with the violence towards women in the military and Lynn has been freelancing for National Geographic for around 20 years! Lynn also worked with Mr. Rogers, she did a full bio and story with Time Magazine. This is the talent that would cost hundreds of thousands!

But, on the days that I work with the team it is long because they only have the day to work in, so days are usually from 6:00am to 6:30pm. Christina and myself are taken out of all shots so we take the time to do things like photograph bugs:) and play with the neighborhood kids:) but when we do get pulled in the room you can see the true quality of their work. 

I have taken some time to get some pointers from Lynn on photography and what an experience! I have really been able to impove the work that I produce! When i am back I will show you the before and afters when I worked with her. 

medical

Hey Guys,

It has been tough to find some time and really sit down and take a chance to write about what i have been able to see and do here. But this morning I will be waiting for our NGO contact and learning more about his role so I have a couple of hours to kill. I am happy about that because I think I need to do this in the moment.

To be able to see both sides of our programs is something that is not very common when we come here because you usually have a set program that is decided upon for you to view and manage. But, I had the opposite experience. Every other day I was at each program.

The surgical was so fast because of the efficency of the way that the doctors opperate. We don't really get a chance to rest because we are only here for a small amount of time so we have to work for as much time as possible. As of this morning we have seen 25 patients and there should be three this morning reaching a total of just under 30 people for this trip. You can compare the schedule and numbers to what this team would normally see in the US, which would be about 3 patients at most in the morning and then consultations during the rest of the day so about 15 total in a week if that.

Dr. Foltz, Sandy and Carlos have made the surgical program really become real to me. How is that? It was really a comment that Dr. Foltz said "Pure Medicine" he was referencing the feeling that he has when he returns to the states. Here when you see a patient they have most of the time lived with issues that debilitate someone but they have brought home a living regardless by doing some of the most labor intensive jobs. And, when they see a doctor you are able to truly transform a life, and the amount of thankfulness from someone is overwhelming! One women when she heard that Dr. Foltz was going to operate leaped from her bed and gave him the biggest huge. The amount of love from the patients is indescribable.

Having this as a reference point there were some conversations on what it takes to run a practice in the states and what the mentality is. I learned that in order for Dr. Foltz to even open his doors he has to have a $800,000 insurance plan, this is the yearly premium! This is before he even turns the lights on, the rent, the salaries etc.! Carlos described the risks of being an anesthesiologist, one of the examples truly stood  out in my mind was his story on what recall is. In his example he described if someone is in a major trauma like an extensive car wreck when they arrive to the hospital they are most likely expected to die. Say they do pass then everything is according to plan and yes it is a sad thing but at the same time it is expected. But, in the opposite if you save that persons life against all odds and as an anesthesiologist you can only use so much anesthesia because the victim most likely has a low pulse. And say they have recall of the surgery they can sue the doctors for the trauma! What! This person was pronounced dead, and because they saved his life they can be sued for recall! This really opened my eyes to come from a place where a person can come to tears because they are able to see a doctor, and then see a system where a lot of people look at WebMD and tell the doctor what to do! I have a new found respect for the profession, I did take a turn to negative town but it is something that has really impacted me. I still believe that education is important for patients but a new perspective on  the doctor is important.

This has made me so aware of so many issues and I have loved the lessons that I have learned

day two

Buenos,

Today is the officially the fourth day! The time is flying! I have been able to experience so much and have become a lot more comfortable in the environment and with the culture. I would say that Sunday was hands down the hardest day because I was running on no sleep and the fumes of coffee, good coffee but none the less coffee.

So lets start from the beginning of the day on Monday. After some much needed rest, we had a later start to the day with the girls from Ripple Effect we headed out into the villages. The two places that we visited was jijuana and siscle these are both about a hour and half out of the major city of Jinotega. The point of these trips is to view our project sites that empower women of all ages. These two villages have used our community organization techniques and our micro-business loans.

We began that Monday with a trip to Siscle, and was that day full of alot of new information about the culture and the little stories we don't hear in the states. For example in this group they named themselves the Divine Women, and some scandal occurred within the original 14 of the Divine Women... About a year ago is when they first started they had a co-op for grinding coffee and roasting. Then when a peacecorp volunteer tried to reorganize the way the group was structured they fought and the group split. The numbers was now 7 and 7, one group got the grinder and the other the roaster. They spoke about the vast division and we have one woman that is in both groups and wont talk about the break.

Kind of interesting to see on the ground here the different disputes about things that make what we fight over so small. They lost a roaster now that means that they have to hand roast their coffee beans that means hours of work to get maybe $2! I fight about weather or not I get a parking spot in my driveway because I have to park outside my gate. It really puts things in perspective.

This day was by far my favorite because of the loss of culture shock, I never realized the amount of shock you receive in a new culture. Wow!

day one officially

Hey Guys,

Wow what a first day so I will sum up the first day... tired and first experiences. The trip in was long and winding after the 7 hours worth of flying on planes and sleeping in the airport we loaded up in a van and headed to Jinotega. It was midnight when we arrived and I realized that a large bus can fit through some of the smallest spaces that I have ever seen:) but all in all it was a great travel experience, we arrived at 2am. My co-worker I am traveling with is amazing and so is the doctor team that is here for this week.

Day one... we woke up and met at 8:00am and had our group breakfast. They have some of the best coffee that I have ever tasted, and trust me I needed it after the 6 hours of sleep that I got. I imagine that I look like what I have heard mom describe when grandma fell down and stretched the skin under her eye. Once we finished breakfast Sandy the surgeons nurse asked me if i would like to scrub in... and I excitedly agreed.


We headed to the street to load up the hundreds of pounds of medical supplies that our team and over the entire year scrounged together. The supplies were literally hundreds of pounds when the packs went through airport security there was not one that weighed under 50 pounds. Off we were... two blocks later we were there! We unloaded and headed in, to be around this team alone was a blessing, the way that they operate is so efficient and professional.

We started to asses the patients within 10 min. of us arriving, there was five women that were chosen for the first day of surgery. Unfortunately we had to postpone one of the patients due to the fact that she had been given an anti-coagulate and got moved to the next day. So after another 10 min of  assessing the patients we headed to the OR!

Upon arrival I was thrown a pair of scrubs and then I was just in my boxers in the middle of the OR changing for an operation. This was not just me but the entire team. Once in scrubs we began unpacking the labyrinth that was the medical supplies that were brought. Once this was complete patient number one was there, Maria. Maria, had cancer in her uterus and had walked for hours to get to the hospital with her daughter to see our team. Mind you this is the first time that I have ever been in an operating room and around blood, unless if you count the time that i cut my finger and some how bled all over the house. And so it began, they began to operate and I was able to take a clinical approach and not once did I feel queasy or nauseous. There is no reason to tell you every detail, but let me just say that I have truly tested whether or not I can be in an OR and I can.

We saw three more patients that day. What I was most impressed with was when the mist around how a surgical team communicated and operates was lifted they were truly remarkable. They way that they were constantly anticipating what the other might need and at the same time, teaching the medical staff accompanying us at the time on what to do. Mind you they hospital staff only spoke Spanish and the doctors for the most part only spoke English this was a barrier in itself. I have a difficult time asking for water "... agua.... por... favor???" I don't think that you can appreciate the pauses in type :). I am just ordering water they are inside a person!

Once the days operations were complete we walked back to the hotel, it was a great walk because of the sights and the thoughts that went through my head. We had saved four people that day! Four lives and we were just walking down the street like we were tourists. I got some looks just because I resembled a Doogie Houser figure:)

I was speechless... literally I had seen so much, and interacted with so many that I had no idea what to say! We had dinner and left to retire for the night. I started to watch the Superbowl and fell asleep!!! I woke up in the finish of the game and saw that it was probably one of the best in years:). But that  rest was very needed and now I can talk again:) I will fill you in later on today's exploits, we are headed to the rural villages to see the micro-business loans with two photographers that do freelance work for national geographic. Wish me luck...

cat memes

I am excited to get started! I wanted to take the time set up an official blog for when I am in Nicaragua for the first time. So for anyone looking at this post it is purely a test... so cat memes!!!!!