Adventure in Chuicaca

This morning, we all met in front of Santo Tomas and headed to Chuicaca.  

The guys are having a seminar for 2 or 3 days so it is just us girls that are doing the clinics.  I met Sandra, Cecy, Maria and Tomasa today and then we made our way down the highway.

We arrived without any problems.  We had 13 medical patients and a nearby school came for a visit.

Dental was very busy today with education.  There were about 17 students and even some parents came and participated.  Sandra and Maria are in the back, preparing for the education.

Last month when we were here, we idenified that there was a large need for classes in dental and hygiene care.  So, everything was brought today to teach the children and their parents how to properly brush their teeth, how to floss and improve dental care.

This is Cecy, Tomasa, Maria and Sandra.  Cecy and Maria want to study to nurses and Tomasa wants to study to be a dentist.  It is nice to work with people who have goals and ambition.

Before lunch, we were asked to visit a young lady that we had met last month.  When we saw her last month, her lips and fingernails were a dark blue.  She had a very loud heart murmur and had been told several years ago that she needed to go to a hospital in Guatemala City.

Today, she was unable to get out of bed.  Her parents told me that this is the first time that she has ever needed to stay in a bed a full week. They said there are times that she needs to rest for a day but this is new.  I encouraged them to reconsider going to the hospital.  They do not want to take her and there are several reasons why. We kneeled by her bed and prayed.......... so, now will see what happens.

After lunch, we had two more medical patients and then we packed up the trucks.  We had a great drive home..................and now we are ready for tomorrow!