The Assessment Room

Dr Chris with Jeannie and a Honduran family. Right in the middle of the church floor were two assessment rooms and this was one of them. HIPPA. HIPPA. HIPPA. Oh! That does not pertain to us in Honduras does it? Ha ha ha ... which is why we were able to see so many people too. No charting. Check em out, medicate, give em a hug, and send them on their way. Simple medicine.

Beach Front Living

This is beach front living in Honduras. Can you even imagine it? This is another home we visted on Sunday.

He looks like mi Abuelo

And that is including the hat. At least the vague memory I have of my grandfather who died when I was a young girl. I was grateful for him allowing me to snap his picture.

Home Visits

After a full day of traveling, we rested. The next day, Sunday, 3/26, we made house visits. Here is Dr. Chris along with his daughter, Cassie, Karleen, and Dr. Rene half hiding behind Cassie. This is a typical Honduran home.

Our Honduras Team

From bottom left and up is Becky, a RN with 30+ years in the ER, Sandra, Dr. Rene's wife with Dr. Rene standing directly behind her. Renea, our trip leader (yeah!!! Renea!!!), and then Karleen, a long time dear friend of mine who I hadn't seen in 10 years until this trip, and then last, but not least in the left row, ME!

From bottom right is Cassie, Dr. Chris's daughter, a senior in high school. Behind her are Jeannie and Fabian, a wonderful couple who I met on our first trip to La Mesa, Colombia. Shekinah, a 16 year old medical missionary in training, my dear friend, Ann, an excellent oncology nurse, and last, but no where near the least, Dr. Chris.

This team worked together fantastically. Unbelievable the work we accomplished. With two providers and 4 nurses with lots of help from all we saw 775 people in 4 days. WOW!!! Perhaps it was because we didn't have all the cumbersome paperwork?

Meet our Missionary Host, Susan!

She is quite the woman and can handle most anything. The Lord gives her the strength. Her and her husband, Scott, went to Honduras a year ago and have been serving the Lord ever since in Honduras. Susan is quite the hostess with the mostess and serves some wonderful fare. Boy can she cook! I'd have to say she's on my level of skill What Susan is displaying here are homemade, from freshly grated coconut, all the way to the crust, coconut pies. TO DIE FOR!!!

We're standing in her kitchen. Note her gorgeous wall hanging behind her. Everything has a story and so does that wall hanging.

Yes, I'm going to leave you hanging -- along with the wall hanging.

First and Foremost

You must meet my buddy, Amalia. Her and I worked side-by-side dispensing the medications in the pharmacy. And what a great job we did too, if I might add. And that table is where we did our work. Looks chaotic? It was. It looked no different when we started in the morning. Ha ha ha ... but Amalia and I knew what we were doing. We had a system to our madness.

Now I KNOW I've jumped way ahead of myself here. I am in La Ceiba, Honduras on a medical missionary trip. Look at my hair. I'm sweating and it's hot, but we prevailed. And afterwards, the cold showers felt wonderful.

Esta la vista mis amigas!

Ruth, at the front and Anne in the middle are both leaving the clinic I work at. Both are amazing sweet spirits.

Ruth, a RN, is one of the first people I met when I started at the clinic and was so overwhelmed. She is now going to work at a clinic 10 minutes from her house instead of an hour and 15 minutes away from her house. Good for her! More time for her family AND less money in the gas tank!

Anne, an ARNP, is down for the winter from New Hampshire. She is a very caring and loving individual and it shows in her gentle frustrations in trying to get the people we treat, who are poorer than you could ever imagine, the medical treatment they desperately need.

You will both be missed.

Tio Dodie 2 weeks before he passed over

This was my 2nd trip to the hospital. I knew he would never look better than this again and asked him to smile for me and my camera. "Leecha, I don't know if I can." he said. But he put a lot of effort into it and this is what I managed to get.

Dear Tio Dodie, thank you for being such a special part of my life. You are one special person and I will miss you dearly.

Love and peace,
Leecha

Tio Dodie -- up to his old tricks!

My dear uncle will always be with me--in my heart. He passed over this past Monday, March 13th from lung cancer. He had one lung removed and then immediately started chemotherapy. He'd just started radiation (only 4 treatments) when he collapsed from weakness and was taken to the hospital. After numerous tests the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

But I knew. My trained eyes told me everything. He was dying and wasn't going to beat the lung cancer. I called and told my family back in Michigan, our dear Dodie wouldn't be with us for long and yet I wished the doctors were correct in their assumption that he'd be going home soon. The icing on the cake was the nosocomial infection he contracted while in the hospital. As compromised as he was he didn't have a chance to fight that off regardless of what the doctors ordered.

For those that don't know what a nosocomial infection is, it's an infection that is in the hospital and is resistant to antibiotics. Better known in the media now as a super bug.

The above picture is from Christmas of 2004. Tio Dodie, a master at card tricks, was playing my daughter, Katie, for all it was worth. And he enjoyed every minute of it too, as was Katie who dearly loved him.