El Diviso, one of the higher mountain peaks in the area, was the final community visited by the Trinity Team. It was the shortest trip of the week but the road had perhaps the sharpest and steepest curves we had yet encountered. It was also the smallest community we served; patients arrived from near and far to be seen at the clinic. Due to the size of the community, it was a more relaxed and congenial atmosphere and a satisfying end to the week.
Reflecting back on the day Dr. Curry said that the Hondurans’ “needs are so simple such as headache, cold, cough, and stomach aches.” These are such big things for them and we take for granted. They are provided with enough medicine to last them a month or two and then they wait until the next team comes. Team members saw a woman with two sons who had been in a motorcycle accident several years ago. She had received surgery and had plates and pins from her hip to her knee. This visit she came due to an infection and received treatment. The last time Trinity Team visited this village, they remembered her in a wheelchair; today she was walking with a walker.
The dental clinic had their share of cases today as well despite being in a basement down a slippery muddy hillside. They saw 25 patients with 40 extractions. Don recalled a young mother with her 2 year old child. She had three difficult extractions with sutures, a very painful procedure. Her son provided what comfort he could by holding his mother’s hand throughout the entire procedure.
Up the muddy hill in the tiny village church, the vision clinic provided eye care for the villagers. Both adults and children were examined and provided with glasses based on their needs. A poster on the wall of the church summarizes the reason we are here serving in Honduras. It stated in Spanish “lo que le hagan a mis hermanos me lo hacen a mí” which translated means, “That what you do for my brothers you have done for me.”
At the end of the day we thanked Marguerite and Sandra for the fabulous food and hospitality they have provided throughout the entire week. We also expressed our thanks to Pedro for his assistance in the pharmacy and Elmer for his amazing driving abilities that allow us to get from place to place safely.
Today’s numbers:
Clinic: 166
Dental: 25
Extractions: 40
Eyes: 20
De-worming: 109
Vitamin A: 27
Fluoride: 5
Referrals to Extended Care Program: 1
The Trinity Mountain Medical Team
