As a student Practical Nurse, I made a commitment that I would go on a Medical Mission Trip to give back to those less fortunate for what I have been given. I signed on with a group of Nurses and Physicians leaving out of Orlando, Florida, for this trip. I could not wait to graduate to make this journey to Guatemala. We would be going high into the mountains of San Pedro to give care to children with cleft palate deformities.
I graduated in May of 1992. November that year, I was on my way to Guatemala to use the skills I had been blessed to obtain. We flew out Miami, FL and landed in San Lucas, Guatemala. There were many physicians, lay people as well as nurses on that trip. We all made a connection immediately as we felt so blessed to be a part of this adventure.
Once we arrived at our overnight accommodations, we could see the poverty all around us. People burning rubber tires to stay warm. Homes made of metal walls just leaning on each other with a dirt floor. The watering trough for the community, as well as for the animal, brought a fear to my heart of disease for these people. It was amazing to me that an area so poor could exhibit such smiles on the people. I was amazed at how little they had and yet so much they possessed.
The following morning we headed high into the mountains of San Pedro where we would work out of a small hospital to repair the cleft palate/lip deformities. Prior to leaving San Lucas, I was handed a tiny baby to hold as we traveled the many miles to San Pedro. She was frail. She was six-months-old and I was holding her in my arms, attempting to get her to take a bottle of formula. Her mother no longer wanted her if she could not be repaired. So the missionaries brought her on the trip in hopes we could repair the cleft palate/lip. Her name was Maria. She had dark beautiful hair and big brown eyes. Her mother had been feeding her with an eye dropper of cow's milk. She needed more in order to survive. She did not know how to cuddle. Her arms and legs would flail out as I held her.
We arrived in San Pedro at the Hospital. I was assigned to the recovery room for the children. This was not your typical Hospital as we have here in the states. It had one operating room. The families were responsible for the food for their child. The cook only cooked meals for the staff as we were there long hours each day. They had simple accomodations and rewarded us with thankfulness for their care. I would sing to the children as I examined their stitches and gave them their injections. I had to asks the interpreter to tell them to not smile so much because it could tear the stitches in their mouth.
Days went by, as I was worked in the recovery room. Maria was placed in a small wooden box in that room so I could care for her. She began to take more and more formula. The mandibular muscles in her cheeks were beginning to look plump. She would be going into surgery as soon as the Doctors felt she was ready. In the meantime, I had become a surrogate mother to this child. If anyone tried to hold her, she would cry. They would hand her back to me. She would smile and I knew she felt safe with me. The most important Nursing I could do was to care for this little baby who needed special care.
The day came for her to have surgery. I asked to be in the OR to observe the procedure. As the Nurse Anesthetist began to put her under, she began to have bronchial spasms. The procedure was never performed because she was too frail to go through it. The missionaries knew the mother would not want the baby so they would asks for the city to give the missionaries rights to take her. In the meantime, I would return to the States and wait for their call. Once they called, I was going to return to Guatemala and stay there until I could get adoption into the States with her. Maria was taken back to her mother, who stated she did not want her. After two weeks, the missionaries did get custody of Maria. They rushed her to a hospital where she was diagnosed with Dysentery Bowel Disease. She died in the ER that night. I received call from the missionaries informing me of Maria. I began to cry but realized that she was no longer suffering. She was a little Angel that I was blessed to know and care for her.
This was the beginning adventure of my Nursing career. It put so many things in perspective for me. I went onto working in Progressive Care Units taking care of very ill patients. When I would get discouraged, I would be reminded of the little these people had and how grateful they were.
Nursing is a demanding profession. It demands everything from us; emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. I am an LPN. I was paid fairly well for my experience. I love being a nurse. I love caring for others. This is why I left 10 years working as a Legal Assistant/Court Reporter to pursue Nursing. You make such a difference in the lives of so many.
