Update: $20 X-rays, Going bananas

It’s hard to type October and not feel that something is amiss. October means cool weather, changing leaves, pumpkins and football. Today its 90 degrees and everything is green and blooming. I keep looking for pumpkins at the market but all I’ve seen so far are some very big green squash.

Jayson and the flowers beside our house.

The other thing that’s off kilter is our sense of direction. Maybe it’s because we are in a different hemisphere, but Jay and I would bet some bananas that north is south and south is north. The sun keeps us straight but it still feels like true north is headed in the other direction.

Speaking of bananas – we have a bunch cut from a compound tree hanging in our carport. There are about 100 bananas in the cluster. Very heavy. Wish we could share with everyone.

Angelyn, Bella, Jayson and Luke ready to eat the bananas hanging in our carport.

Eric Fogg, full-time missionary from Michigan who works on water systems for villages, hacks down our bananas.

Jay hustled back to the hospital after lunch today to get lab results to a patient so he could head home. The patient took a seven-hour bus ride from the coast to get here yesterday, stayed overnight and saw Jay this morning. Imagine making that trip for a clinic visit. It says a lot about the reputation of Hospital Vozandes del Oriente and a lot about the cost of treatment at the hospital. Prices are lower to benefit the many poor patients however the doors are open to everyone. Here are some charges:

ER visit                                  $30

X-Ray                                     $20

Clinic visit                             $6

Physical Therapy                   $5

Urine Test                              $.30

Blood count test (CBC)       $.50

Patient Update –

Kamlia - 2 year old with fever for four weeks. Keep praying. She is better this week but a diagnosis still has not been made.

Panuelo, 16 yrs – victim in motorcycle vs truck accident. He died Monday. Pray for his family. He was an orphan with one sister and extended family. One “good” God brought out of this sad situation was an attempt to donate organs – the first ever outside of Quito, the capital. All of the family members agreed except one so the donation did not go through however all the paperwork is done so this option is ready for the future. Organ donation outside of Quito, the capital, is unheard of.

         

Electric Saw Victim – His infection continues to heal. Thanks for praying.

Man with flesh-eating bacteria. He has lost most of the skin and much of the muscle on his left leg. Pray the infection will be stopped. A month ago he visited a tribal shaman who gave him poultices but he needed antibiotics. He will not be able to walk normally again.

This is my second week of helping at Jayson’s preschool. I help all morning on Tuesday and half the morning on Wednesday and Thursday. His teacher is Sharon, a long-time missionary here who is now watching some of her grandchildren grow up on the mission field however she has 20+ grandkids back in the states, too. I really enjoy working with her and learning from her. She just finished her master’s degree in teaching a few years ago – kudos to her! Jayson really enjoys preschool as well.

Picture – Jayson on his first day of preschool

We started Spanish lessons with our tutor, Teresa, last week. She comes three days a week from 2:30 to 7pm. I work with her the majority of the time but the children each work with her one hour per week and Jay takes a turn when he is home. She joins us for supper before going home. We are enjoying getting to know her.

For the last 10 days we have sponsored Christian, a pharmacy student working at the hospital. We really enjoy getting to know the short-term volunteers here. I helped Christian get settled in at her apartment and then walked her through the streets and shops of town for the first time. On Monday, after a hint from one of her new hospital friends, we celebrated her birthday with guests at dinner. Angelyn helped make her birthday cake and since she couldn’t imagine a birthday party without games, Angelyn talked us into playing musical chairs. Everyone joined in and the laughter was well worth it.  

Christian and nursing volunteer, Mariah, with Wauroni spears and face paint after flying into a jungle village

This week Dr. Ching, a cardiologist from California, came to volunteer at the hospital; always someone new to meet and extend a warm welcome to.

Sending warm greetings to everyone back home.

Lynnelle for the Allisons