Last night the after dinner prep work went smoothly and we were done by 9. Sadly, the local watering hole was closing so I think we all took that as our cue to wash off the day’s dust and rest from the long day, so lights out came fairly early.
Today we awoke to a very breezy day and I held out hope it would be blowing in the best direction…and lo and behold, upon arrival to the church, the thatched structure was closed off and we were to hold clinic in the adjacent unfinished structure. There was a tarp for shade and wide open doors and windows…the breeze was amazing!!
As is always the case, the team improvised and in no time, the clinic was set up for business! Of course, for the first time in an open air clinic we were impacted by the shifting sun and hit by several rain showers, so as you can see, the clinic took on several different iterations.
We did have some interesting patients that will require additional care after our departure…a young child with intractable seizures and a young man with a large scalp tumor. Sorry for Neal though – no surgeries today. The most shocking patient of the day…a 45yr old woman with a verified Blood Pressure of 296/172…I checked it 3 times!! How did she even walk in the building? She will need more medicines and closer follow-up than we can provide, so we gave her stern instructions. I hope to see her in May with a much better BP.
After dodging the direct sun and the intermittent raindrops, we managed to see our last patient by 2:30. We had treated 112 souls and the clinic went very well. As usual, the space was packed, loaded and we were headed for home and an earlier lunch today.
You probably guessed it…some headed toward the clinic on the way to the beach below to cool off, but on our way back up the hill we made a stop…you guessed it…the roof! Of course, we had to take a nostalgic picture on the knoll in front of the site where we took one of our first photos upon choosing this site nearly 4yrs ago! Time flies and look how far we have come!
It is now nearing 5:00 and if we hope to get refreshed before dinner we will reluctantly leave the breezy rooftop and hopefully meet up with our friends Timizou and Chavane for a beverage and an appetizer before the 6:30 dinner bell back home. Then of course, prep work for our Friday clinic at Grace Church. We have served over 250 patients so far, and will likely see many more before our departure from this paradise in just 3 days. I only hope we are continuing to make positive strides, connecting with this community.
That is all for now. We hope all are well back home and as much as we love this place, we look forward to seeing our loved ones again soon. More news from Ile a Vache tomorrow!
Love to All,
The Team