March 2nd 2011, a Long Day!

Today we have a group of visitors from Upper Arlington Rotary Club visiting. We took them to Tierra Linda and they met the community and heard their needs. We also facilitated a medical clinic today in San Jorge for the group Helps. The dentists pulled 94 teeth. They medical group saw over 100 patients. Mayan Families translated for the doctors . Stephanie and Rodolfo also visited the Elderly care program and have begun to visit the homes of the elderly and see what they are in need of.Early this morning a family came to our offices and asked for help for the mother of five young children. The grandmother was in tears saying that she could not support the children, the mother could not work because she has a huge growth on her foot. The father of the children has been unable to find work. The grandmother begged us to come and look at her daughter in law. As it was on the way to Tierra Linda we agreed to take them with us and visit the young woman. When the young woman came to the verandah she was walking on crutches....she lifted the wrap off her foot and the sight was shocking. A huge tumor that was black and had lots of growths on it. It also had the most horrible sickening smell . Flies were hovering over her foot .I was standing at least 6 feet away from her and the smell was really nauseating. After some discussion she agreed to go to the hospital in the city. She had already been to the INCAN hospital in Guatemala city several months ago and they had told her that the foot would have to be amputated. She had refused and had come home and prayed very hard that she would be healed. Unfortunately, it wasn't too be.She has agreed to go back to the hospital tomorrow. Dwight is taking her in and we hope that she will make a decision that will be very difficult but really looks like the only option. I just hope it is not too late.She has five young children, the youngest looking to be about 2yrs old.We had a great meeting with the Tierra Linda community and the Rotary Club.We have been working all day on finding the right medical attention for the baby with the intestine on the outside of his stomach. We have an American doctor coming tomorrow to visit the little one . He is from Peter Rohloff's group and we hope that he will be able to find the right hospital and attention for this baby. You may remember that we had a woman who was pregnant and had to have a cesarian because the baby she was carrying had a very large head. The doctor operated on her today as she was in too much pain to continue the pregnancy. The little baby survived the operation and was reacting well...so the doctor wanted us to rush the baby to the Roosevelt hospital. We called the ambulance but first we had to negotiate with them the cost of the gas for the car and the food for the drivers, after that was completed we then got the baby picked up and he has now arrived in the hospital in the city.I just saw the photos of him in the Picassa web album for today and he looks so sweet. I hope that the hospital will be able to help him...poor little thing. I am hoping that we will have good, positive outcome for these babies and this young mother.Sharon