The View from Your Mission | Sr. Gloria Miller

Sr. Gloria Miller, RN
Infusion Nurse
St. Mary's Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

What surprised me about this mission was that despite a difficult start to the trip - the long journey and the minimal time to get settled and organized in Esquipulas - we formed our teams, functioned well and saw so many more people than last year. The biggest miracle was that no one on the team got sick despite long hard journeys and clinical days!
 
Overall, I tend to remember some of the simpler things:

• There was an older woman who I discharged toward the end of the day in Chanmagua who only needed some simple medication. As I finished her teaching, she expressed gratitude for our being there in a very tender way and she told me that she was praying that we have a safe trip. Although regretfully I do not remember her name I feel like there was a strong connection with her through her gentle touch.
• On a home visit with Rachel and Sonia in Horcones we saw an elderly woman who was very limited in her mobility, spending most of her time in bed. We had a walker with us and fitted it for her. To her delight (and ours) this allowed her to get outside to a small porch on her own. Her smile, which radiates on her beautifully etched face, is captured in pictures and competes only with the smiles of Rachel and Sonia.
• There was a boy about 12 in Chanmagua who had had surgery for an optic nerve tumor. It was hoped that his blindness was temporary and he was still on steroids, making him quite bloated. He was obviously a happy child and interacted very normally with the people around him despite his ordeal. When he came to me for discharge, the first thing I said was that I heard he had had some very big surgery. He did not dwell on his predicament but cheerfully told me, "Yes, I have an incision from ear to ear." His situation made me wonder how his family managed to get him the surgery he needed and what kind of follow-up he would be able to get in the future especially if he remained blind.

As I reflected on this mission I found myself questioning the amount of resources that go into this project and trying to justify the "bang for the buck." Although I truly believe that the key to improving health of the people of rural Guatemala is in strengthening the resources within the country, there is also an incredible connection that happens among people of very different parts of the world that takes place in such missions. Hopefully, the fact that we were willing to travel to the extent that we did and to bring supplies to people who need them speaks of the level of concern of the team and of all those who supported us in so many ways — families and co-workers at home as well as those who provide financial assistance. The growing connection with the health promoters is an important link that was very evident last year and which has grown with the development of relationships through the year. It is the relationships that convince me that this is an important effort.
 
 
I served on this mission with an amazing group of people who were very adaptable, generous and caring, not only with the people but with one another. It was truly amazing how we all became a team from the beginning and worked together so well. Certainly there is a special bond of having had this common experience. My only regret this year is that with going to separate sites each day there were some people I didn’t have as much of a chance to get to know. I am truly grateful for each person who was with us and who supported us from afar—the effort of the group and the level of commitment to service is phenomenal.

Going forward, anything that can be done to promote local resources is critical. Having even minimally prepared people who can assist with care on an ongoing basis could make a big difference in the lives of these people. I think it was really important that more teaching was done this year with the health promoters and women who are in charge of the clinics and I hope that this can be increased in the future. I believe that the most important thing we can do is education and certainly the issue of clean water could make a significant difference in the health of the local population. As I was doing discharge teaching, I found myself giving the same little talk about boiling drinking water to just about everyone.