Farewell....
After our last day of clinic, we headed back to the city to drop off most of our local translators, which had been an integral part of the team so they could travel back to their families. Calling them translator really doesn't do justice to this group. They are so important to the success of our mission and our ability to effectively deliver care to the local people. They are responsible for the communication between the patients and the caregivers (which are mostly English speaking Physicians and Nurses), administer medicine and do the plentiful miscellaneous assignments that the team has to do to accomplish everything we set out to do when we left the States.
After an emotional farewell from our dedicated translators we left Diriamba on our way to Granada. Granada is located on the banks of the Lake of Nicaragua and under the Shadow of Mombacho, an active Volcano (which last erupted in 1570). We are staying in a beautiful hotel called Hotel Con Corazon (Hotel with Heart), a non-profit hotel that uses all of its profits to provide scholarships to local kids.
Farewell and Gracias!! By Tresha Mandel
Stav is right, our clinic is dependent upon our translators, our friends and confidants to help us perform our duties. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for making this mission trip so successful!
Some of the highlights from this trip:
We treated 938 patients with over 3,850 prescriptions during our four clinic days. Each patient received enough tylenol and vitamins to last a month as well!
We also distributed TWO TONS of rice and beans, giving each family enough food to last a family of four for a week!
Thank you to Dave Howell, our team member from Pennsylvania, who amassed hundreds of shoes to hand out, totally over 250 pairs!
We also gave each school that hosted our clinics, enough school supplies to last their students for a year with 200 spanish to english dictionaries, pens, markers, rulers, erasers and colored pencils.
We performed a wonderful "mitzvah" or gift at the Hogar de Anciaños in Granada, Nicaragua. We gave them the remaining stock from our pharmacy and we also gave 58 hand crocheted shawls to their residents. We then celebrated with a piñata party!
Special thanks to VIDA Volunteer organization, who took a leap of faith and decided to partner with our professional medical team, after their seven years of partnering with only student teams from the United States. You helped make our trip so meaningful and successful! Dr. Emile, Geo, Daisy and Juaquin, Pedro and Ana! Abrazos!
Muchîsimas gracias to all team members who helped make this trip a reality.
Dr. Amy Hertz, Dory Sims RN, Sue Secor RN, Sue LaBarre, RN, Lester Griell III, NP, Mitzi Fishburn, RN
Emma and Stav Gil, Eleanor Bird, PharmD, Mona Rippe, Christine Scheinberg, Dave Howell and our amazing and tireless translators: Michelle, Harvey, Sergio, Jairo, Michael, Fernanda, Noelia, Karla and Juan.
