Ecuador - Day 3

August 15, 2011

Day 3 in Ecuador – Another wonderful breakfast this morning with fresh fruit, eggs and the wonderful bread and jam. We made our walk to the Damien House again this morning. I could get used to this… I hope I remember this walk for as long as I live! On our walk this morning we saw some construction men working on a house. They were using bamboo as supports. I was in awe. It was absolutely beautiful, so we had to stop and take a picture.

We saw four patients this morning. Our team works wonderful together. Our first patient was a man named Giovanni. He had dropfoot as well as other complications from Hanson’s disease (such as sensory loss, etc). His AFO (ankle foot orthosis) was causing him some discomfort, so Brittany and I did some adaptations with it to make it more comfortable for him. It is very comforting to be thrown into the mix at this clinic and see how much we actually know. Everything just comes so naturally when it is time to see a patient. The morning treatment sessions went by pretty fast and before we knew it, it was time to stop for documentation and lunch.

After lunch we were able to do some shopping with the Damien House residents. We got to go to their housing areas and buy some of the things they had handmade. This was such an awesome experience. The women had some really beautiful jewelry and handmade rosaries, which I bought for some of my friends and family back home. After finishing up with the women, we made our way to the men’s side. I made a beeline for the hammocks! I had been talking about buying a hand-woven hammock since I found out I was going to Ecuador. If there was one thing I was coming home with, that was it. I found the one I wanted – it was blue and white. Very fitting, considering those are Rockhurst’s colors. The man who made them came over to me. His name was Alcides, and he was very proud of his hammocks. I made sure our translator, Jonathon, told him how much I loved it! Some of the other men were selling some hand-woven bags, paintings, and some beautiful wooden crosses they had made. The crosses caught my eye. I wanted to buy something from everyone, but of course I couldn’t do that. The most beautiful thing about buying the things here at the Damien House rather than at the market we will go to later in the week is that the resident who makes that item gets all the money from what they sell. I would rather spend my money here and see them all with smiles beaming across their faces. They are so proud of their work, and with good reason – it is all so beautiful.

Shopping with Blanca

Fortunado with his hammocks

Afterwards, we had an exercise group with the women then we got to see a couple of my favorite residents from the Damien House. First, was Jacinto. Jacinto was one of those people who always has a smile on his face. He is so full of joy and is always so loving towards everyone. When I look at him, I truly see a reflection of God. Jacinto has lost part of a few of his fingers due to Hanson's disease. He wears gloves a lot while he works, so we sewed the gloves so the fingers would fit his hand just right. He absolutely loved them!

Jacinto

The next patient we saw was Trinidad. Trinidad did not want to come to therapy because she had a headache. We were all very excited to see her, so Sr. Annie went to talk her into coming to therapy since it was the first day. Let me explain a little bit about Trinidad... due to the amount of damage Hanson's has had on both of her lower extremities, she has had to have amputations below both of her knees. A doctor from Nebraska (I believe) helped her to get prosthetics for both legs. Before we came here, Trinidad thought she would never walk again. We had other plans for her! We set up the parallel bars in the hallway. Emily was on one side and I was on the other. Trinidad wheeled herself up to the parallel bars and we told her our plan. With the two of us at her side and holding onto her gait belt, Trinidad used the parallel bars to walk back and forth with her new prosthetics for the first time! It was beautiful to see. She sat down in her wheelchair because she was getting pretty tired and she started to get a little emotional. I also began to get emotional at this point.

Trinidad

Flashback 20 years to my Dad's accident. It was then that he was relearning to walk on those parallel bars with his new prosthetic. The memory was so vivid in my mind. It also is one of the main reasons I chose Occupational Therapy as my profession. It was inspiring to be there with Trinidad. I knew at that moment, the 17 of us that were there from Rockhurst were making a difference. We were cheering her on and giving her hope and confidence. This week is going to be one that will forever change my life, and for that I am grateful.