I Am A Volunteer - Global Health Force Medical Mission to Peru

For years Jay and I have admired our primary care physician, Dr. Thuy Tran, for her efforts to bring health care to under-served areas of the world through Global Health Force, a non-profit formed by her and the Tran family.  Each year we have participated in their annual fund-raiser, The Global Gala; listened to the accounts of trips taken to places such as the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Haiti, the Philippines; watched the video streaming pictures of grateful patients; enjoyed the delicious global buffet and entertainment; and even tried to help out by begging for Silent Auction items from friends and family.  Always standing on the outside of the circle applauding the efforts of these generous medical personnel, we never dreamed that one day we, two retired non-medical senior citizens, would be able to be an active part of such an undertaking.

When Dr. Tran suggested we might be interested in coming on their 2015 trip to Peru, we jumped at the opportunity.  In the weeks before our departure we read up on all we could about Peru, the culture and people, the food, the history and…the dispensing of reading and distance glasses.  We were to be the Optical Department!  Since we have both lived with myopia and now with “maturing eyes,” we had first-hand knowledge of this.  And we bought our first pair of scrubs!

From the moment we met up with the rest of the group at the Bradley Terminal at LAX we began an experience that was going to be transformative.   Most of the participants were “first-timers” traveling with GHF and the open extending of names and hand-shakes was our first indication of how embracing and cohesive this group was going to be.  There were 19 of us and so we could get to the gate in the midst of the airport throng, we called out our numbers to ensure we were all together.  Jay and I were #18 and #19.

The 11 days of the trip flew by.  After landing in Lima, we had a 4+ hour drive south to Ica which was to be our home base for the next two days while we set up clinics in the outlying districts of Guadalupe and Santiago.  I was amazed at how the southern coast of Peru is all desert…miles and miles of sand as barren and dry as the Sahara. 

Having done this so many times in the past, thanks to Thuy’s sister, Phong, the logistics ran like clockwork and in the morning we were met in front of our wonderful hotel by local Peace Corps volunteers who served as our translators at the clinics.  Just the opportunity of interacting with these young, enthusiastic, dedicated Americans was a gift in itself.

We went through a recurring process in each location:  We would pile out of the taxis or vans, unload the medical bags.

Then Dr. Tran began running from room to room, decided where to put the 1. Triage (where the nurses took vitals and history); 

2. Medical (where our doctors examined and prescribed for patients) 

3. Optical (where we screened and gave out glasses) 

4. Pharmacy (where the medications were counted out, labeled and dispensed…along with toothbrushes, toothpaste and instructions!)   

As we each set up our assigned area, the people were gathering in the waiting area, occupying chairs and clutching numbers!

We worked from 9 am to about 3:30 pm each day without stopping for lunch. The time passed quickly as about 250 people a day came through our rooms.

The first clinic was in a school.  We saw many children here, as well as adults and elderly, who lived in the area surrounding the school.

After closing the clinic, we were given a meal of chicken and rice, complements of the mayor.

The second clinic was in a Religious Health Clinic in Santiago where we had a special Prayer and Welcome before opening up to patients.

The third clinic was in the outlying town of Otuzco in the mountains an hour away from Trujillo where the town set up a kind of festival in the main square with a quickly erected clinic. In addition to our healthcare, there was music and entertainment.

Our own Sandy Bresnahan and Peace Corps organizer, Oscar, (originally from San Diego!) were interview by local media!

The fourth clinic was in another small town, Poroto, about 40 minutes away from Trujillo where we occupied another school/health building.

Yes we had four very full and draining days of work but we also found time to play.  Each evening we usually opted to go out for dinner as a group, where we talked, laughed and got to know each other better.  After our second clinic in Ica, we all trouped out to the desert oasis of Huanachina where those with some energy left, rode dune buggies and participated in sandboarding while the rest of us indulged in Pisco Sours!   

On our one free day in Lima we went on a Culinary Walking Tour in the Lince district of Lima where we visited 3 restaurants featuring authentic cuisines of the various areas of Peru. One night we even tried "cuy" aka guinea pig!

And for those of us who had the time, Sandy arranged for the last three days experiencing the high altitude of the Andes, the town of Cusco, a tour of the Sacred Valley and the glory of Machu Picchu.

So what did we bring home with us in addition to the walking sticks for Machu Picchu? 

 

Memories...memories of:

a child with her face aglow with her new glasses reading out the numbers “ocho, cinco, nueve” while her mom stood next to her crying;

an elderly woman with reading glasses, who cannot read but is amazed as she is able to thread the needle on the first try!

Refrains of “Gracias” 

“God Bless You,” hugs and kisses.

Grandmothers tying grandchildren to their backs before setting off for home,

Grandmothers and mothers we had seen earlier at the clinic, later nursing babies while they sat on the sidewalk selling rolls and cookies from large wicker baskets.

Bodies weathered from hard work, smiles missing teeth, glowing infant smiles, a human spirit that is gracious and warm.

Churros dipped in hot chocolate!

I think what Jay and I appreciated most was being able to interact with the positive generous spirit of our young medical professionals… nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors who want to serve and make a difference.   

The more we got to know them, the more we wanted to adopt all of them. We came home feeling more in touch with humanity, feeling younger in body and spirit, and feeling a tremendous sense of hope and optimism about the world in general. Obviously the experience gave us more than we gave to others.

#18 and #19 in Otuzco