Medical Outreach January 2020 - Limones
And off we go! After a late night arrival to our hotel in Bluefields, we arose early in the morning to begin our outreach. During our last trip, we visited Limones for the first time, after a newly paved road had enabled a community of eclectic individuals to call this new area home. A converted clinic allowed us to see 475 patients last year, which tipped the scale for the highest number seen in a day. With a tall order to follow, we again trekked along winding roads towards Limones with only a minor hiccup… when the cattle truck housing our supplies blew a tire! With no AAA in sight, a local team quickly changed the tire. While we waited we saw families traveling by horseback in the distance and busloads of people passing by to the very clinic we were on our way to service. We arrived to a swarm of patients already gathered eagerly awaiting our arrival. The local doctor in charge of the clinic couldn’t wait to tell us how our last visit brought awareness and growth to this newly established clinic and that they now have the stability to serve patients throughout the year.
Blessed with many new ideas and a strong desire to serve, we put our heads down and hit the ground running. By the end of the day, we were a well-oiled machine. With more providers than ever, many of which were local Nicaraguans, we were able to intake, triage, diagnose, treat, provide much needed supplies, and dispense medications to nearly 500 patients.
And what a blessing it was! While people waited, patients were educated on breast cancer awareness and proper brushing of those chili choppers. Of the 500, we logged over 130 pulled teeth, showing education of cavity prevention paramount in these communities. But of course we couldn’t make it through the day with all work and no play. Smiles and laughter boomed across the field from a perfectly executed zip line put together by the MacGyver team and toys and tennis balls tossed to and fro. Once we wrapped up our day, we cruised along home on the bus as the sun began to set, exhausted yet excited for the rest of the week.
We travel by boat to our next destination, so be sure to stay tuned!
