Today marked our 5th day in Guatemala and our third day of surgery. Again today started like every other day. As we made our way to the hospital we started the day again with rounds to check on all the patients from the day before. Each patient was very thankful for everything that was done for them. As soon as a doctor reached their bed there was an immediate smile on their face. No matter the amount of pain they were in they knew their life was about to become that much better.
I think rather than going into the day to day processes, sharing the unique stories of some of the patients is key to understanding what we are experiencing everyday.
The first lady we talked to for the day was a lady who had recently had a knee replacement. Though I have spoken about her before, we were finally able to translate the language she spoke today which is known as “Achi” to find out much more about her. She was from a small Mayan village in the mountains of Guatemala, a 9 hour bus ride. Though the lady that translated for us said that it was probably more like 11 hours. A county called Baja Verapaz though not far from Antigua much of the travel is difficult. She explained that it was a very remote and unique place with people practicing old Mayan ways. It was such a unique story. Not only this but we were finally able to understand her responses to our questions about her knee replacement. She said she could not thank us enough for all the work we have done (even though she knew Jack and I did not do the operation). In the end before leaving the hospital this lady had a total knee replacement, walked semi-weight bearing a few hours after the operation, walked multiple times the next day semi-weight bearing all without pain medication. It really just illustrates the strength of these Guatemalan people.
Next we made our way to our second patient interview. She had a knee replacement today and was accompanied by her daughter to translate the Mayan tongue her mother spoke in which is known as “K’iche’”. We were very fortunate to talk to both of them as we found out so much more about the rich Mayan history and culture within Guatemala. We found out there are more than 35 languages spoken in Guatemala whether this is between counties or cities it is often a different Mayan language.
Her mothers story was also very unique. She had severe osteoarthritis that caused her leg to sit very bowlegged. Though her daughter had explained to us that her mother had been experiencing discomfort since the age of 5 due to an accident. She had always had an oddly shaped leg and lived her life in a lot of discomfort but it had gotten worse over the years. She was able to find Faith in Practice and receive a total knee replacement. We actually interviewed her 4 hours after her surgery and by that time she had already walked a lap around the hospital ward. We then accompanied her again on a walk and she climbed the stairs with us there 4 hours after a major surgery. She could not express enough gratitude towards the surgeon that had done her operation. Her leg was straight again, something she had not felt in 46 years. After 4 daughters and 1 son working a job and providing for her family she finally had a knee that was fixed. It was truly an amazing story.
As always there are many more to come and I hope you stick with Jack and I on this journey.
Ross Roloson, Blogger
