KENYA

We packed for Kenya this week.  We put together 14 totes full of medical supplies.  There will be 6 physicians, 10 nurses and 2 ancillary personnel traveling together to Nairobi, then to Naivasha, Kenya to work in a new women's hospital built by a group of Nebraskans.  They have brought Kenyans to Nebraska to train and work on training them there.
I'll have the opportunity to work with a local Otolaryngologist and helping in whatever way I can.  John will be working on the stove project modeled after the project used by HELPS International (the group we went with to Guatemala last year).  The idea is to built stoves to contain the fires in homes, decrease smoke inhalation, decrease burn injuries and decrease time spent gathering wood.  It also helps protect the environment as it uses much less wood and with less time gathering wood and tending a fire the children can attend school and parents can be more productive with their time. Watch the YouTube video Stove project  It helps in so many ways.  The stoves are inexpensive and efficient.  I've included a link to YouTube that explains the project.  It is out of Guatemala but the same principle we will be using in Kenya.  NN

Nicaragua '13

We learned from our first trip to Nicaragua, that the word "flexibility" is a key word and one that we have come to be very familiar with.  Just a few nights ago, we learned that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the 2 physicians with the California part of our team are not able to go to Nicaragua with us in February.  Of course, that news blindsided all of us but we still knew that we all wanted to go back in whatever capacity that we could be used, whether it was medical or non-medical.  We now have learned that we will be working with Nicaraguan doctors, plastic surgeons from Managua.  That is great news and will be a blessing for the people in Nicaragua who have been waiting for our team to return.  We don't have a lot of details yet so are anxiously waiting to hear more news.  But our hearts are with the people of Nicaragua so we are happy to serve them in any way we can.  Please keep us in your prayers.
Carolyn Athey

Nicaragua '13

   In spite of the miserable cold & blustery day on Sunday, the Columbus Medical Mission Team, Nicaragua '13 had a very successful spaghetti feed fundraiser.  It was held at Peace Lutheran Church and we had a great turnout.  We also had a Christmas bake sale with lots of delicious baked goods.  Another addition to our fundraiser this year was a silent auction of items bought in Nicaragua on our last trip.  These items were from Nicaraguan craftsman & many from Puerto Cabezas which is where we work on our mission.  We want to thank everyone who came & also who supported us with monetary donations as well as all the wonderful baked goods.  We are always amazed at the generosity of so many who support our mission.  We also want to recognize Cargill for their donation of hamburger as well as the Barilla pasta company for their donation of all the spaghetti and spaghetti sauce and Michael Brittenham, State Farm agent, for his donation of napkins and cups.  And thank you to Jodi Dreifurst, a 2 time member of our mission team, for her donation of the table covering. We were also fortunate to have volunteers who helped us during the spaghetti feed and to them, a HUGE thank you.  Words cannot express how grateful we are to everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success. 
   In less than 2 months our team will be back in Nicaragua, and for some of of us our 4th trip back.  The people in Puerto Cabezas certainly have won our hearts and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to serve them again.  We are looking forward for the opportunity to work with our friends from California again as well as our brothers & sisters in Nicaragua.  Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to return to help those in need in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.  And please plan to follow this site for blogs.  We will try to keep everyone updated as time allows & as the electricity allows us to.
Carolyn Athey

KENYA 2013

It's been a long time since I've posted because things seem to keep changing.  The civil unrest in DRC has made it too unstable to travel there.  On any given day it might be OK, but because of the rebels in the Northeast who recently took more control and threatened the capitol city, Dr. Fletcher warned us not to get our tickets and to hold off for now on our trip.  We were terribly disappointed  as we have done all the leg work, made plans and have been getting our shots for Congo.  I've put out feelers for other trips and we were all ready to sign on to a very good mission to Haiti when another African opportunity presented itself that we couldn't pass up.  This is to travel with Friends of Naivasha to Kenya with Dr. Coleen Stice, who I trained with at Mayo, and who has extensive mission experience.  Her team has helped in the building of a women's hospital in an area greatly underserved north of Nairobi.  We met with her today and made all the arrangements for 7 of us to join her group of 11 and travel together to Kenya.  Our team consists of myself (ENT), John (McGyver), Kevin Harm Pediatric NP, Wendy Kallhoff, RN, L&D nurse, Molly Dreesen O'Tool, BSN L&D nurse, Erin Scoggins, BSN, L&D nurse and Megan Kresha, Paramedic.  I will be working with a Kenyan Otolaryngologist, John will help with a stove project designed to build stoves for the huts which will prevent burns and smoke inhalation with the open fires in the homes, Kevin will work with Pediatrics, the nurses will work in Labor & Delivery and Megan will help out wherever needed.  We will all get to teach and work on a very ambitious project.  There are several websites and a YouTube video about the organization.  I'll try to link, but just look for Friends of Naivasha on the internet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxcvcm4ePL8&feature=share and you'll find lots of information on it.  We also have a Facebook/Columbus Medical Mission Team - Africa page that we will link to.  We are very excited and everything seems to be falling into place.  We'll be having 2 fund raisers.  First at Pizza Ranch on Dec. 17, 5-8 pm, second a potato bar at Federated Church January 13, 11:30-1pm.  Also, don't forget the Nicaragua team spaghetti feed tomorrow Dec. 9 at Peace Lutheran Church at noon.

Nicaragua '13

The Columbus Medical Mission Team (Nicaragua '13) met today & we had a fantastic meeting.  We had lots to cover regarding travel plans, fundraising efforts, ordering supplies, etc., etc.  Our big fundraiser will be our spaghetti feed which will be Sunday, December 9th from 12:00-2:00 at Peace Lutheran Church as well as a Christmas bake sale.  A new addition that we are having this year during the spaghetti feed is a silent auction of items we purchased from Nicaragua in February.  These items are made in Nicaragua and many are from craftsmen in Puerto Cabezas, the town where we work.  Some of the items are baskets, jewelry, a wood carving, scarves, etc.  We have been very blessed to have gotten our hamburger donated from Cargill as well as spaghetti and spaghetti sauce donated from the Barilla pasta company.  Thank you to everyone who supports our mission work through your donations but most importantly, with your prayers. 

Team members from left to right in top picture:  Catherine Johnston, Sue & Karl Tillinghast, Tamra Boettcher, Cole Fullner, Carolyn & Dean Athey

Carolyn Athey

DR Congo

I've received another video about the mission in DR Congo.  We have a contact in North Carolina with a church that sends missionaries there regularly.
http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi378274841/

Nicaragua 2013

We are happy to report that the Columbus Medical Mission Team (Nicaragua '13) is formed.  We have 2 new members, Cole Fullner & Catherine Johnston, and they will be joining Karl & Sue Tillinghast, Tamra Boettcher & Dean & Carolyn Athey.  This will be the 4th trip to Nicaragua for the Tillinghast's & Athey's and Tamra's 2nd trip. 

Tamra will be taking on a dual role this time.  Her desire was to lead the children's ministry and she will do that with the help of Cole & Catherine.  She will also use her medical skills when necessary but felt her calling for this trip was to participate more fully in the spiritual side of the mission trip.  She has a lot of experience with the youth through her participation in her church and the people of Puerto Cabezas will certainly benefit spiritually & medically from her expertise. 

Our team has a lot of work ahead of us from now on but we look forward to all the challenges & efforts it will take to make our way back to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.  Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our next journey.
Carolyn Athey

Nicaragua 2013

   The Columbus Medical Mission Team, Nicaragua 2013, met September 9th.  Everyone came with ideas for an even more exciting trip.  The dates are February 7-17, 2013.
   We will be fundraising and set December 9th as the date for our spaghetti feed so mark your calendars!  Details with the time and place will follow.
   Team members returning for their 4th trip to Nicaragua are Karl & Sue Tillinghast and Dean & Carolyn Athey.  We are very excited that Tamra Boettcher, ARNP, will also be going with us.  She was on the first trip to Nicaragua and has been anxiously waiting to return.  We have 1 and possibly 2 persons who are working out details to go with us, as well.  It's going to be a great team!
   Once again, we're partnering with the California team.  The leaders of that team are Keveta Anderson and Suzie Smith.  We don't know yet who will all make up their team but we do know that Dr. Rich Bergstrom and Dr. Mark Nichols are the physicians who will be going.  Dr. Bergstrom is an ENT specialist and Dr. Nichols is a general surgeon and both have been on several medical mission trips to Nicaragua.  We had the privilege of working with them last February and are looking forward to working with them again. 
   We continue to ask for your prayers as we plan for our next mission trip to Nicaragua. 
Carolyn

CONSIDERING MISSIONS

I've spent the last few days at our national Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery meeting in Washington DC and as always am coming away with new thoughts and ideas.  The past couple of years I've gone to every cleft course offered.  One course led to my getting additional training at the University of Arkansas with cleft surgeon Dr. Lisa Buckmiller, who has extensive cleft training and who has done missions throughout her career.  She is who invited me to Guatemala with their team.  The trip was awesome as I could work with 3 other cleft surgeons who you read about on earlier blogs from October 2011.  I was trying to decide what to do next when I found Dr. Fletcher's mission in DR Congo.  Although I have another opportunity to return to Guatemala, I decided the trip to Africa had so much to offer, that I have decided to go there instead.  One of the main factors primary factors in this decision is the opportunity to teach the local physicians.  Dr. Fletcher has been working hard for years to improve the level of health care in the poorest country in the world.  I attended several hours of humanitarian meetings in DC and every one of them made the point of how important it is to teach.  There were stories of setting up ENT residency programs, literacy programs in slums, and training the local physicians in every way.  A couple of groups 'put themselves out of business' by returning year after year, bringing supplies and training the local doctors to the point where they aren't needed to do the surgery as they have well trained specialists. None of my previous missions focused on training, and  each time I talk to Dr. Fletcher about what surgery we might do, he reminds me that it has to include teaching.  They have Family Practice residents and medical students with a fair amount of book learning, but very little 'hands on' experience so we probably won't do the large numbers of cases, but rather a smaller number, but allow the Congolese doctors to do as much as they can. Dr. Fletcher, himself, does some ENT surgery so we'll teach him as much as we can so he can use to teach more incoming doctors.
We will also have the advantage of an American trained general surgeon who can do followup care.  This is a huge advantage.  Missions always leave you with a sense of concern about what will happen to the patients after the team leaves, so this will be a great help.
One of the humanitarian speakers so aptly pointed out that there are lots of people who say they want to go, but in the end, the time, the money and the 'outside your comfort zone' factors limit who actually is able to take the leap of faith to go.

John and Nila Novotny in Guatemala 2011

The meeting has me more inspired than ever for missions and now has given me some additional tools to help organize things and places to look for donations.

SENDING SUPPLIES

Today I packed up 4 boxes of supplies and will send them UPS tomorrow to North Carolina for Dr. Fletcher to take to DR Congo.  Large supplies can be shipped there by cargo ship and will actually get there via Belgium.  I'm not sure how long it will take, but Dr. Fletcher is returning to Congo in October.  We'll still be taking some supplies of our own in February, but this uses up things we've had in storage that we were unable to take before.  It's fortunate that I spoke with him today as he mentioned a need for tracheotomy tubes.  It turns out I have a small stockpile in my office that have accumulated from patients who no longer needed them so was able to find a good home for them.  It also includes some unneeded GYN instruments and laparoscopy equipment that our hospital can't use. NN

DR CONGO AND NICARAGUA

We have now branched into two teams.  Next year, 2013 will find two separate Columbus Medical Mission Teams traveling to two different countries, so the blog may be a little confusing.  We will try to keep them labeled correctly so you know which is which.  It looks like both trips will be in February so that will only add to the confusion, but it's a good time of year to travel to the tropics.  Everyone in Nebraska can attest to that.
The DR Congo team will be participating in a Webinar about the Congo later this month that is put on through the Presbyterian Church Missions.  We haven't done that before, so are waiting to see what more we can learn.  Dr. Fletcher has been traveling around the country speaking about the Congo all summer and has given our name to other interested participants, so we'll see how that works out.  I'm meeting with one next week at our national ENT meeting.
There are so many mission opportunities out there and so many people interested it's sometimes hard to keep focused.  Each one has unique characteristics and we're anxious to see how the Africa branch pans out.  Both teams will be following the other and praying for a successful trip.

Nicaragua 2013

    We are happy to report that Columbus Medical Mission Team will be returning to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, in February.  After our last trip in February, it was uncertain if we would be going back but we have gotten the word from the leaders in California that it's a GO! 
     It doesn't seem possible that this will be the 4th trip that CMMT members have traveled to Puerto Cabezas.  For those of us who have been privileged to go on these trips, it has truly been a blessing to be able to serve so many needy people in that region.  The people in that area have found a place in our hearts & with God's help, CMMT will return for however long he wants us there.
   We will be starting to have team meetings to assemble the team, discuss fundraising, etc.  So please stay tuned for more details as they become available.  Dean & I will be doing a couple presentations soon about our trips to Nicaragua.  If there are any groups, clubs or organizations who would like us to talk at, please feel free to contact us (276-0638 or 276-0640).  We love to tell our stories & share our experiences with everyone. 
Carolyn Athey

WORLD OF NEED

We're having our first team meeting for the trip to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this weekend.
We'll start to solidify the team, the dates, and what needs to be done to prepare for the trip.  I had Dr. Fletcher on the phone earlier this week to ask about the political strife that we all hear so much about throughout Africa.  Of course, it's like hearing of strife in the USA.  Some areas are much worse than others and it can't all be lumped into one. Several times I've had people look shocked that we would even consider going there because of the danger.  It was reassuring to talk to Dr. Fletcher who has lived there most of the last 20 years.  He said the political unrest is far from where we'll be and he and his wife travel freely without fear in their region.  They do not need razor wire around their compound (or station as he calls it).  However there is a fence around the hospital.  He says we'll be able to take a day and travel to one of the outlying hospitals so we can see the area and smaller communities.  We may do clinic there.

I'm excited about the possibility of teaching there.  Dr. Fletcher seems as interested in using all of the team to teach whatever we can.  They have 2 nursing schools, medical students and residents.  He's trying to improve the medical education as much as possible so they can provide better care for themselves and in the far distant future become self sustaining.  This is the poorest country in the world, ranked 187 out of 187 (USA is 4th).   NN

DR Congo Video

I've just received a video from Dr. Fletcher, our surgeon in DR Congo.  I'll try to post it.  It is interesting and informative.  You may have to download Google docs to view it.
DR Congo video

We have our first team meeting August 12, so please pray for our team.  If you are interested in joining the team, please contact me for more information.  NN

PLANS FOR ANOTHER TRIP - AFRICA!

It's time to start thinking about another trip.  I had the great fortune to meet Dr. John Fletcher and his wife Gwenda last week.  I had heard about his mission and been in contact with him via e-mail and then phone.  It turns out he was traveling across the US and was able to make a stop in Columbus, NE to talk to me, John and Dr. Pete Diedrichsen.  We spent about 3 hours asking all the questions we could think of.  It appears that he has worked hard for a long time to build up a teaching mission hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa.  The country has had plenty of political turmoil over the years.  It was formerly known as Zaire and before that the Belgian Congo. It is currently stable in his region and he and his wife are able to travel freely and safely in the region. John and Gwenda have spent most of their lives in the mission field and most of the last 20 years in DR Congo.  He is an American trained general surgeon and 3rd generation missionary surgeon.  They've managed to  build a hydroelectric plant on a nearby river and so have reliable electricity that most of the country is without.  They've also managed to arrange reliable delivery of equipment through their seaport.
We are just now starting to put together a team to go there sometime in 2013.  Details have yet to be worked out.  People interested should leave their contact information with me through my private e-mail, or through my FB site Dr. Nila Novotny/FB

You may read more about Dr. Fletcher's mission and his hospital at the following sites.
Dr. John and Gwenda Fletcher, DR Congo
Good Shepherd Hospital, DR Congo

This is appealing to me for its opportunity to teach and help Dr. Fletcher develop training programs in the poorest country in the world.  
It is ranked 183 of 183 in poverty by the International Monetary Fund (US is 6th, Nicaragua is 134 and Guatemala is 116).

I will post more information as it becomes available.  Please keep our team in your prayers as the team is being developed.

NN

Nicaragua Mission Trip Presentation

The Columbus Medical Mission Team will be hosting a presentation on Sunday, March 25th, at 1:00 at First United Methodist Church, 2710 14th St. in Columbus.  Team members will be sharing their experiences and pictures from their medical mission trip to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, from February 9th through 23rd.  Refreshments will be served.

Nebraska team members include: Dean & Carolyn Athey, Karl & Sue Tillinghast, Jody Dreifurst, Sherilyn Haswell & Melissa Shemek

More pictures

The first picture is us girls waiting out front of the Managua airport the day we arrived.  The 2nd picture is of Karl trying to collect water from an air conditioning unit to use in our sterilizer.  The 3rd picture is all of our team after our totes finally arrived after some of them were confiscated by customs.  It took RJ and Duane 25 hours to get from Managua to Puerto Cabezas after having problems with muddy roads from all the rain, a flat tire, coming up on trucks stuck in the mud which backed up all the vehicles for hours, losing power steering and sliding off the road and getting stuck, etc., etc.!  The 4th picture is of the baby girl who almost drowned by being swept into a water filled culvert during heavy rains.  She is the granddaughter of one of the Nicaraguan nurse who is one of our interpreters.  She is absolutely adorable!  The 5th picture was taken just seconds before this little girl aspirated on milk that her grandmother had given her the morning of surgery.  It was very scary since she could have died because of that.  I took this picture to show how she came to the OR in her little shoes with heels on them.  The 6th picture was taken at a beach.  The water was so warm.  The 7th picture is of the young man, Austin, who is setting up a small farm in Betania to teach the locals farming as a means to feed their families as well as a source of income.  He's doing some amazing work there.  That is where some of us worked last Monday when our work was done at the hospital.  The 8th & 9th pictures are the fisherman we saw at the beach who were fishing with nets.  They pulled the nets to shore only to have just a few small fish in them.  They loaded up all the netting and headed back out into the ocean.  Such hard work for potentially small rewards.  The 10th picture was taken at the Muskito market and the last picture is of some of the food we bought for the kids in the orphanage.   We have lots and lots of pictures and will combine them with the pictures from the California team.  Hope you have enjoyed them.    Carolyn

HOME!!

All of us from Nebraska are now home from Nicaragua!  The last from our team, Dean & I, Jody & Sherilyn flew to Managua yesterday and then left early this morning for home.  From Managua, we flew to Houston and then to Omaha.  We had another amazing trip.  On Tuesday, we spent time buying food for the orphanage.  Last week, Pastor Earl had told us about the dire circumstances of the orphanage and that at some meals, the kids only receive a cup of milk and a slice of bread.  We had money that was donated and we decided that we would spend that on bags of rice & beans, oil, sugar, eggs, fruit and vegetables and meat for the kids.  We have already started to look ahead to next year as to what supplies and things we can take for the kids.  They have gotten to the orphanage under such sad circumstances so we hope to help them in some small ways. 
During our time at the hospital, Rich and Mark did 87 surgeries.  There were more scheduled but some were cancelled for various reasons: fevers, some had eaten the morning of their scheduled surgery, broken equipment, no shows, etc.  We accomplished a lot under the circumstances!
We had a great team this year combining the Nebraskans and Californians.  The doctors, Rich & Mark, were great to work with and we hope to be able to work together with them again.  We couldn't have done it without the help of the Nicaraguan nurses and OR people as well.  They are hard workers and have been a tremendous help to all of us and have truly become our friends.  They are so appreciative of our help but probably don't realize what a privilege it is for us to be there working along side them to serve their people.  The need is so great there and we barely scratch the surface but the satisfaction we receive from these trips is extraordinary.  Thank you to all who have been so supportive of this mission through your donations and especially your thoughts and prayers.  God willing, we will return to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, next year!  Carolyn
PS  We will be posting more pictures!

Wed. morning

Just finished breakfast and will be making final preparations to leave here this morning for Managua.  Will be flying with the California team who will be flying on today.  Dean  and I, Jody and Sherilyn will be staying in Managua and fly early tomorrow morning for home.  It has been a great time here but also time to go home!  There are lots of stories to tell from a young man being hit in the face with a piece from a well drill to a near drowning of a baby girl, to a small girl close to dying on the operating table because her grandma fed her before surgery and she aspirated.  The young man came to the hospital here with serious injuries and was flown to Managua yesterday morning and has had surgery there.  The baby girl went outside in her walker and fell out of her walker into fast moving water in a culvert, was swept under what would be equivalent to a 2 to 3 car wide driveway and came out the other end.  When her mother pulled her out, she was blue but is now doing well.  She was lucky she did not get caught up under the cement.  Well, time to wrap this up in Puerto Cabezas and head out.  It has been a great trip and will be anxious to share our stories at home.  Carolyn

Tues. morning

Good Morning.  Sunday we went to church and then to the hospital to do a few smaller surgical cases.  Before we started, Rich gave us Nebraskans a very meaningful and heartfelt message.  We so appreciated that and everyone conveyed to him what a pleasure it was to work with him.  Packing went well and the construction team from California were a HUGE help with loading and unloading of totes.  

Monday some stayed to help organize totes for next year.  I was with the crew that went to Batanya (sp.) to help at the big farm Austin is helping to develop.  It is amazing and hopefully will teach some of the locals how to farm to feed their families as well as earn a living.  We pulled weeds for a few hours.  We did a lot but barely made a dent compared to all the work that needs to be done there.  The ride to and back from Batanya is an hour each way over horribly bumpy roads.  The highlight of the day was after lunch when Austin took us all to a private beautiful beach.  We saw fisherman in a small boat out in the Atlantic fishing with a net.  They came up to shore near us to pull in the nets which was a huge job only to find about a half dozen small fish and a couple crabs.  But they loaded up their nets and paddled back out to the rough waters to start again.  They were amazing.  

Time for breakfast and then off to the pier and muskito market.  Hi, Sue and Karl!  Hope you  had a safe trip home!

Carolyn

The most amazing team

This is Suzie, co team leader for the Global Passion Medical Missions trip, and I want to thank Nebraska for sharing their servant minded folks with the Californians. We have had the most mountain top experience one can imagine. The team blended into one with in hours and all things clicked like we had worked together for years. We had deep meaningful evenings filled with laughter and tears, but most of all the building of strong life long relationships for years to come. Many cleft lips, tonsils, thyroid and pediatric hernias were repaired. The days started at 6 am for many of us and usually ended around 8 pm with highs and lows. No low could dampen the highs of the faces, thank you's and excellent outcomes we saw. I look forward to our next adventure. Thank you each one for your excellent care and love you gave to the Atlantic Region. Most of all thank you to our Savior for having our backs at all times. To Jesus be the glory.

Sunday night

Hi, everyone,   We are done at the hospital!  We went to church this morning, ate lunch and then went to the hospital for a few smaller surgeries.  An 8 man construction team from southern California arrived and went to the hospital.  They were a big help when we loaded up totes to come back to the compound.  The weather today was finally HOT with humidity but for the most part has been pleasant.  We have definitely made friendships at the hospital with the Nicaraguan nurses and there were some tearful good byes when we left. 
Rich and Melissa will be leaving tomorrow and those of us still here will split up and either sort and organize totes, go with the construction crew, or go to a farm to help mix manure.  We do not really know what that will entail but Dean and I have signed on for that job.  We will be at home with that job considering we have so much to clean up with the horses! 
Hope Sue and Karl arrived home safely.  We miss them!  The rest of us will be leaving Wed. for Managua and will fly home on Thurs.  Sad to leave here but will be anxious to get home.     Carolyn

Sat. nite

Great day at work.  The little girl who aspirated yesterday is doing well.  We got done early and got back here around 4.  Was nice to have showers before we ate.  An 8 man construction from southern California arrived today and will start working on a church Monday.  Tomorrow we will go to church, eat across the street and then get right to the hospital to do some surgeries tomorrow afternoon.  That will be the end of our work at the hospital as Rich will leave Monday morning.  Melissa will also be leaving Monday.  Sue and Karl left today and should be having a relaxing evening in Managua.  We were all sorry to see them leave early and will miss them the rest of the trip.  Have a good evening, everyone.    Carolyn

Friday evening

What a day!  Our first case was an interesting one.....or rather, intense one I should say.  The little girl was fed by her grandmother and therefore, aspirated food into her lungs......needless to say with little resources it was an intense situation and we ended up using some of our emergency equipment once we removed the dust from it!  We were able to work well as a team and we handled it as best as we could.....she is now in Peds where we will continue to watch her over the next few days.

I also befriended a doctor named Jose who is probably 5 years younger than me......who has agreed to learn how we address wounds in the U.S.....there is a little boy named, Bairon, who has been in bed for a month!  He had a bug bite on his leg that became horribly infected and they have been doing tortourous dressing changes once a day.....now, they have agreed to medicated him for pain as well as start physical therapy to get him out of bed to walk!  Tomorrow I will be involved the Nicaraguan MDs in helping them remove the sutures, we hope, and see what wet to dry dressing changes look like.

There is so much to do, but so many people we have helped.  Each day we have learned is a new adventure....we take what comes!  Thank you for all of the followers and for your prayers.....

Melissa

Hello everyone.The trip has definately enriched my life.The people here are so gracious and so thankful for our presence here.I have worked in the recovery room and it has been nice to revisit past experiences of my nursing career.I had the privilege to helping a young mom initiate her breastfeeding experience.Here NO bottles for first six months of life.Only cleft palates are not breastfed.Moms only hand express as there is only one pump and the nurses say it is not working well.I have taken pics of breastfeeding posters that are up on the wards.NICU is very interesting.Lots of preemies.The first visit we saw a preemie, 26 week gestation born the 13th .Only on O2 nasal cannula and IV fluid.Mom expressed breastmilk for gavage feedings.I was able to go in on a C Section on Wed.at 3pm.She was dismissed the next morning only to return on Thurs.bleeding and elevated BP.She is doing okay in ICU today.The maternity ward is 30 bed according to Dr.Taylor.Seventy percent deliver at home and they still deliver 800 or so per year.The experience has been more than rewarding and I thank each and every one of you for support and your prayers.God Bless.Sherilyn

Another day behind us.

Well we have another day behind us. It doesn't seem like it should be Friday already. Dr. Mark our general surgeon left today for the States. He has been great to work with. I have done mostly ENT and Sandra the Nicaragua anesthetist has done his cases. We will do another full day tomorrow and then Sunday after church. I will post some more pictures of the hospital so you can see our working conditions. The picture of the paper on the wall is news print that the children have been coloring on all week. The weather was good today except for a short downpour.

Dean 

Friday evening

Hello, everyone.  Done for the day.  Time is flying!  Mark did a couple hernia repairs today before leaving for home.  His first case was a little girl (3 yrs.) for a hernia repair.  As Sandra, the Nic. anesthetist, was waking her up, she vomited and then aspirated on curdled milk.  The mom had strict instructions at the clinic last Sat. NOT to feed or give her anything to drink.  After a phone call from the Mom to home, she found out the Grandma could not stand the crying and gave her something.  It was a very tense situation and the little girl is still in the hospital.  So glad that Mark did not have to leave not knowing how things would turn out.  This sort of thing apparently happens quite often.  
I took a short tour of the hospital before we left tonight and it certainly appears that the conditions are much worse than even last year.  Even the local nurses say that.  Karl has been our taxi driver and appears to have mastered dodging other cars, bicycles, and pedestrians (by the skin of his teeth!).  He and Sue went shopping today and took team money to buy things for the hospital such as fans, diesel fuel, beans, rice, coffee and several coffee pots for different areas of the hospital.  Karl and Sue leave tomorrow and will be home Sunday after a relaxing stay in Managua tomorrow night.  We have a lighter surgery schedule tomorrow and a short one after church on Sunday.  Our trip to Waspam has been cancelled so we will pack on Monday.  Probably Tues. we will visit the farm that Austin is working on growing fresh veggies as well as visit the Moskito market.  
That is all for now.  Thanks for all your support!  Carolyn

More time than I thought

I have a little more time than I thought so I will add a little. This trip has gone extremely well after we got over all the intial difficulties of gettiing our supplies and everyone here. We are planning on spending some of our fund raising dollars to get some food to the 115 children in the orphanage. We can buy 100 lbs of beans and 100 lbs of rice and some other staples. That will only feed them for a week or so but right now some meals are bread and milk. They are trying to house and educate these children and bring them up in a Christian atmosphere to have an impact on their community. It is so sad. The computer has found new life so we can again receive but not send emails. Best to all at home. More later.
Dean

Friday AM

Ju

Friday morning

Foggy and drippy this morning.  Looks like more rain will come this morning.  Yesterday Rich did thyroid cases as well as some other things while Mark did more hernia repairs.  We had a wonderful meal waiting for us when we returned in the evening.  It was a shrimp main dish with veggies.  Wed. night we could have either lobster or shrimp kabobs.  I think we have told everyone how well fed we are here!  The seafood here is fresh and delicious to say the least.  Today promises to be a busy day for ENT.  Mark has a couple cases and then leaves to return to Montana.
It sounds like the hospitals situation has deteriorated since last year.  Suzie says it is in the worst shape she has seen it since coming here years ago.  Equipment that breaks is not being replaced, gowns and drapes used in surgery are basically tattered rags, and the nurses continue to struggle without even the basics to do their jobs.  You can not even imagine what it is like unless you see it for yourself.
Thank you again to everyone who is following our mission and for your continued prayers.   Carolyn

Thursday evening

Today has been another long day for the team.....this morning I was able to go to the nursing school here with Carl....eighty students will begin school in March at the cost of $60 a year, however, this does not include food or lodging or materials.  The students share textbooks between all of them in a small library and are required to bring their own syringes, needles, etc, in order to practice in skills lab.

The neonatal intensive care was also a busy place today.  There, they had a few premature babies born over the last few days, some doing better than others......their spirits and will to live here is amazing to me.  You would be amazed at how they infuse IV fluids and keep track of what they are doing......all on paper!

Also, the end of my day I was able to pray with some other members of our team for a young woman about 15 years old whose spirit is manifested by demons.  We prayed for her and with her family and will check on her in the morning.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts......they are all needed down here!

Melissa

Thursday PM

I am  have been having a wonderful time, busy in surgery  lots of cases everyday.  I am tired at the end of the day but what a great feeling to know how many people we are touching.  Looking forward to tomorrow I am getting a break to run around town with Karl.  Thanks to everyone at home for supporting this mission.  Love to all my friends and family.  XOX  SUE

Thursday PM

It rained again today but after that it was beautiful and hot.  I got promoted to designated driver today.  It is quite an experience driving in Nicaragua but fun. The need is so great in the hospital so Sue and I are going shopping with one of the Nicaraguan nurses and picking up some food and other things like stools and fans for the hospital. Everone is well and we thank you for all your prayers and support and will see you soon.  Love Karl

Thursday morning

Quick note as we will be leaving for the hospital.  Our laptop died so we do not have e-mail access;FYI.
Have had busy days.  We keep hearing more heartbreaking stories about patients we haven't even seen.  Pastor Earl talked to us last night and we didn't realize the orphanage was in such dire straights such as their food supply, the kid's clothing and school supplies, etc., etc.   Very sad situation for everyone in Puerto Cabezas.  You can tell as he speaks, that it breaks his heart to see the situations his people live in. 
Everyone is doing well & work together amazingly well.  Yesterday there was a break in the rain and we now have clean clothes.  The sun was out this morning but is now raining!!  And this is the "dry"season.  We all have curls and waves we didn't even know we had!  Lots of surgeries today so expect it to be a very long day.  Off to work.  Hope all is well at home.  We hear it is warming up.  Have a good day!  Carolyn

PS  We are having trouble getting to this site at times to post, so if you don't see new posts after a period of time, you will know why. 

Wednesday already!

Time is flying.  Doesn't seem possible that it's Wed. already.  The rain faucet just can't seem to shut off.  Rained a LOT yesterday to the point of it being close to going over the sidewalk going from the OR to the recovery area.  It's been difficult taking pictures because the camera lens fog up.  Tues. was another busy day with approximately another 20 surgeries.  Rich did 2 cleft lips with beautiful results and lots of tonsils.  Mark did lots of hernia repairs, hydroceles and a flank mass.  The last of us that stayed got back to the compound around 7:30.  We celebrated Rich's birthday with cake & a few leftover fireworks from Christmas.  The California and Nebraska teams have meshed together so well as well as so fast.  Seems like we have worked together for a very long time.  Jody has helped Keveta whip the OR into shape!  Even though Sue is working in Family Practice now, she is still the ENT pro and her and Rich are a great team!  I don't see Sherilyn & Melissa a lot but they seem to be enjoying the hustle & bustle that is always going on in the recovery area.  Dean has his own little corner of the OR and is loving every minute.  I share sterilizing duties so am mostly in the OR area but do have opportunites to get out & see what's going on in other areas.  But the man of the hour is Karl.  He is keeping very busy ALL over helping fix lots of equipment, etc. and is keeping everyone happy.  Yesterday he worked with RJ on electrical problems.  The climate here makes it nearly impossible for anything to work for very long.  Mary, the director of nursing has been bringing him lots of machines in hopes that he can work miracles and in some cases, he has.  Karl is the "go to" man!  We are going to eat soon and will be on our way.  Expecting another busy day!  Hope all is well back home.   Carolyn


Just a quick note and I will try to add some puctures. The weather has been very wet. Rain every day and it seems like lots of it. Not much chance to get laundry dry. The AC has worked without fail in the OR and very little power outages. Carolyn has pretty well said it all.
Dean

Dean

Tuesday Early AM

I have been going on the early crew @ 6:20 I will send a few pictures. The first day got off to kind of a slow start with cautery and sterilizer glitches but once we got rolling we did around 20 cases total. I was doing ENT with Rich. We did two cleft lips and several tonsils. The other table did lots of hernia repairs among other things. I need to get the pictures on and eat so I will close. Lots of stories but not much time.
Dean

Sunday morning

Good Morning, everyone.  Dean & I are early birds this morning.  Breakfast will be soon and then church services for 2 hours.  Since we didn't want to worry anyone at this point, we did not tell you about the problems encountered by the team getting here.  Other than some of our totes not arriving till Thurs. night, the NE people have had it easy compared to the California team.  Part of their team flew separately from the rest of the team.  The first group was rerouted but made it to Managua Friday night.  Their totes ended up being confiscated going through customs.  The 2nd group arrived and their totes went through.  Suzie & RJ stayed with the totes as long as they could and then were thrown out and the totes were taken away and locked up for the night.  Suzie's goal was not to be thrown in jail as well.  Pastor Earl's brother, we think through devine intervention, happened to be at the right place at the right time and saw a person he knew that worked in customs and put her to work helping with their situation.  To make a long story short, their totes were finally released Sat. morning and their team got here in Puerto Cabezas on 2 different flights.  Now back to the NE team in PC with Keveta on Fri. evening, we were all waiting to hear news about them which changed with every phone call (and there were many from her to the people in Managua).  We had to make a plan B as far as having our clinic on Sat. with NO doctors.  We planned as best as we could and went to bed hoping for the best in the morning.  We started our clinic with Dr. Taylor (Nicaragua dr.) helping fill Mark's (the general surgeon) spot and Jody assisting him.  Sue & Sherilyn were the ENT docs, replacing Rich till his arrival.  Dean, Melissa & I were at the scheduling (surgery) table.  Dean & Melissa assessed patients, made the schedule and I did paperwork.  (Yes, there's some paperwork in Nicaragua.)  Since a lot of our clinic supplies were in the totes which hadn't arrived, we were working with a lot of makeshift forms, supplies, meds, etc.  One by one, California people arrived after we had seen lots of patients and filled some days for Rich & Mark.  The clinic was a HUGE success and we were done, packed and out of there before 4:00.  WE DID IT!!!!!!!  We had a team meeting, a great supper and able to get to bed early!  We will have a very busy week and the doctors will be doing lots of surgeries and there will probably be some later evenings that we will be working.  That should cover our happenings for now.  By the way, if anyone at home is expecting to get e-mails from team members, you probably won't be receiving them for the time being.  We are able to receive e-mails (the junk mail is coming through fine) but not send.  Just continue to follow our blogs for updates.  In spite of all the problems, everyone is upbeat and excited for the week.  Keep us in your prayers as we proceed with our mission.  Carolyn

In Puerto Cabezas

Hello everyone!  We are in Puerto Cabezas and Melissa is here as well.  Dean & Karl went to the airport last night and got the rest of our totes.  Great news!!  Arrived in PC today at 12:15 and were picked up and brought to the compound which will be home now for 2 weeks.  Hopefully the totes will arrive Saturday.  Some of the California team is in Managua at this time and the rest of their team should arrive later this evening.  We hope to conduct our clinic tomorrow.  We have been busy this afternoon organizing the totes that Keveta keeps here at the compound.  Time for bed.  Everyone says "HI".  More blogs to follow
Carolyn

In Nicaragua

We are in Managua!  Left Omaha on time this morning at 5:35 as we saw 4 of our totes going back to the terminal on a cart!  So far, they have not arrived but are supposed to be on a 9:30 flight tonight. (We have a total of 12.) Good thing we are staying across the street from the airport.  Dean & Karl will be going over to see if they have arrived. 
We have had lots of challenges already.  The man who was supposed to meet us with papers from the Ministry of Health allowing us to get through customs was not at the airport.  We still managed to get through customs.  Found out later that he has been tied up at the Ministry of Health waiting to get the papers.  Needless to say all our plans have been changed somewhat and we are waiting on word of what to do next.
If you don't hear from us on a regular basis through these blogs, don't be alarmed since electricity could be a problem.  It is sporadic to say the least.
We are all tired and hoping to get some of these issues resolved so we can get to bed.  Has been a long day with very little sleep.  Hope to keep you posted.
Carolyn & crew 

11th Hour

Well if appears we are down to the 11th hour. The totes are packed and ready to go. I was sure we would be taking 6 or 7 totes but  the final count is 12. The Nicaraguan Ministry of Health decided to get very picky about who they allow to do medical missions in their country so last week was a whirl wind of emails back and forth with Keveta in Nicaragua and all the team here. We were finally able to satisfy their requests and got the official approval late last week. We thought this was done several months ago.
We leave for the airport at 2:30 AM tomorrow to catch our 5:30 plane. We will be in Managua by 12:30. Karl and Sue will meet us at Eppley and Melissa will leave from NY Friday. She will meet up with Suzie and the California Team in Managua and fly onto Puerto Cabezas with them.
We are all very excited to finally be leaving for this mission. I want to thank all of you for the many ways you have supported  us as we have been preparing  for this mission. Please continue to keep us and those we will be serving in your prayers.
We will try to blog as time and electrical service allow as we go through the next two weeks so keep checking back.
Dean

Here is a reminder of why we make this trip. These are people waiting to be seen in our clinic, last year and there are 100 more inside the church.
Our schedule has changed a little for our trip this year due to the schedule of the surgeons. We will do surgery Monday through Saturday and then Sunday afternoon after worship services. The surgeons will be gone on Monday and we are planning a road trip to see another hospital up on the Rio Coco river. They are wanting us to consider a surgical mission there on a future trip. Carolyn and I have done a little research and it appears this is a small village in a remote area. It is only 50 or so miles from Puerto Cabezas but we are told it will take 3 to 4 hours to make the trip. Their roads make our minimum maintenance roads look like I-80. We will look over the facility to see if this is feasible. I am sure what they call a hospital will differ greatly from anything we have seen. Then we will pack up and prepare to come home. The team is getting very excited. Keep us in your prayers.
Dean