The big event!

Okay, so I knew event planning was a lot of work- but medical brigade planning trumps all girl scout/dance recital/birthday party I have EVER been a part of.  And I can’t even take all the credit for these events; I was merely the assistant coordinator.

Let’s begin with preparation. Here was the beginning of my to-do list as soon as I got back from vacation:

-          Paint parking lines for handicap spots in our parking lot (measuring and remeasuring lines as the rain washed them away overnight)

-          Make a plethora of Copies/banners/tshirts

-          Follow up on lunches, snacks, tables, chairs, transportation, shade tents, internet connectivity, printer set ups- all coming from different people and places. No one-stop-shop here in the jungle!

-          Order cake and refreshments- pick up cake and refreshments, don’t spill or drop cake or refreshments while getting in and out of taxis!

-          Make invitations for our park inauguration and closing dinner

-          Make more copies, and copies of copies.

-          Etc, etc, etc

One thing about Ecuadorean culture that is charming is that they want to please everyone and no one wants to say no to your request. Very noble and all, however, when you’re trying to plan something and figure out who’s word you can rely on, it’s exhausting.  There were many things that were “promised” one day, but then the next were not, so we had back up plans for our back up plans and learning to remain calm through it all was a challenge. But in the end, the day arrived and we were off and running, with or without an amplification system!

First event was the Sin Barreras Parque Infantil Manos Unidas inauguration. This is the park that Nicole has been working on for the past year, getting local authorities (like the Mayor) to provide financial support, and getting equipment (like adapted swings) donated from the states. In preparation for the big opening day, we asked the parents to come one day to help with the finishing touches. As luck would have it, it POURED rain that morning, but cleared up enough around 10am to get to work.  I was humbled as I watched mothers with babies strapped to their backs crouched down scrubbing the algae off of the slippery brick walkway.  I think this will be one of the images that will forever stay with me after I leave this country- people here are always willing to help, and don’t make a fuss about it. There is such a sense of community sharing amongst everyone. 

As for the party- All the important local people were present and I think we may have even been on the news.  It was just as much of a political event as it was a community event since some government folks showed up and everyone had to thank all the right people to make the hospital look good.  Needless to say, we got to cut the ribbon and serve cake and guayusa tea to everyone while the kids could finally play around in the park.  See my pics for some ridiculously cute action shots. J

Now it was time to start the Neurological Brigade! In the group were 6 doctors from different parts of the US, including Harvard, NYU, and the International Epilepsy Group (they are all pretty big deal!), and 9 non MD volunteers (2 EEG techs, and some family members).  They each had a consult area and an interpreter (as needed, 2 are actually native Ecuadoreans and 2 Puerto Rican). We had a triage station with local medicine residents and nurses to help us move people along and get them to the right specialist. My job was to be available to anyone, at any time, for anything. Basically running around answering questions, delegating tasks, resolving glitches, multitasking at my best! I actually really enjoyed being pulled all over the place because I got to see more of what was going on and interact with everyone involved. 

Here are the stats: 220 patients (52% men, 48% women), 105 with epilepsy, 14 with non-epileptic seizures. Other diagnoses included cerebral palsy, developmental delays, hemiplegia, hydrocephaly, migraines, and other neurologic pathologies. 56% of the patients were under 12 years of age, and 9% elderly. 3 children who were presently hospitalized with seizures were seen in their hospital room. 83 CT scans were performed. 

Besides the fact that we were providing this “state-of-the-art care to those who need it most”, the most feel good parts were the small details- The fact that some parents understood for the first time why their child isn’t like their other children, and whether or not they are going to “be cured”. Sure, some of the stories (okay, most of them) are sad, tough, often depressing cases, but doctors had never been direct with them before, and these are not people who would question or probe doctors for more information. They simply sit quietly while the doctor speaks gibberish to them that they don’t understand and walk away. So many parents would say they’d seen doctors who said their child was “sick”, but had no idea that there was such a thing as being born with brain malformations, or no brain for that matter. Although, perhaps we can’t “fix” brain malformations, a large majority of the cases were positive in that the doctors could prescribe seizure medicines to prevent further brain damage. And the good news is that the hospital has now agreed to keep these meds in stock so that they can get refills as needed.

The most memorable moments from the whirlwind three days was when the US docs would take the CT scans to the lightboard and hover around to check them out. The light board is in the middle of the clinic, so as one doctor would approach, everyone would crowd around to check it out (no HIPPA laws here!).  At one point, one of the pediatric neurologists said “I’m not sure about this one, let me take a picture and send it to my radiology friend back in Boston”, and CLICK. Just like that, from the middle of the Ecuadorean amazon, technology delivered a picture from his iPhone halfway up the world to a colleague in some sterile office somewhere so that this Ecuadorean who had been waiting all day to have her child seen could get some professional help.  Yea, amazing. I know.

This event was truly an international, interdisciplinary event that I am so proud I got to be a part of. These doctors, who are the best in their fields, were humble, flexible, caring, and passionate about their work. It lit a spark in me as I realize that my time here is only getting shorter!

As usual, all my pics are on Google.... so click HERE to see them!