This morning, Sam took Tom, Alisha and I up to a Wound Care Clinic. We left at about 8:00 and were there until Noon. Just getting there was a bit of an adventure! We were in a van with about 8 nuns (sisters). They were fun to be with. We were blown away by their kindness and all of their knowledge! They are doing a great job of running this clinic with the minimal resources that they have.
Alisha, Sam and I had the opportunity to help the sisters with some wound care. Mostly on lower legs, arms, and some minor head wounds. On legs and arms seemed to be a lot of burns. A sister showed me what I need to do, where the basic supplies were, and off I was spraying Betadine, gauzing, washing, and wrapping. It was a ton of fun for us, we really enjoyed it! The patient we saw that stuck out to me most, was an elder lady, with her husband that carried her onto the bench. He himself obviously struggles with walking, as he had a cane. But he carried his (what we were assuming to be) wife, who knows how far, just so she could have her bandages changed. He must love her oh so much! It was a pleasure for Alisha and I to care for her. People are incredible.
Most of the last half, Tom continued seeing patients that were in a line to see him, with various degrees of needs. There were tons of people in the area, and it was difficult for him to properly assess due to the language barrier. But he did an excellent job with what he had! Many were grateful to have seen him. Alisha and I somehow became, what we liked to think of ourselves as, Pharmacy Technicians. People would come up with their prescriptions from Tom or the other physician, and we or the sisters would put the medications into little baggies with the name and instructions on it, and give it to them! All medications are donated, so people don't have to pay. Super cool.
Even in the short amount of time, we really enjoyed ourselves and were very thankful for all of the wisdom the sisters had to share, and we were very thankful for the help we could bring to these people, even though it may have felt minimal.
- Carly
