San Pablo

June 6, 2014
This blog is being written by Daryl’s group reporting live from the van.
On Thursday we traveled several hours in the mountains to San Pablo with no pee stops (an amazing task for eight women who drank many cups of coffee). Upon arrival, we immediately set up our equipment at a health clinic in the area. We had a variety of patients waiting for us, mostly older women with many aches, pains, and arthritis. This did not surprise us as we saw women carrying large loads of wood on their backs during our drive through the city. We also had a few very involved children that had Cerebral Palsy with severe contractures.
It seemed that we disappointed a few people because we did not have medicine to relieve their pain. We learned that many Guatemalans do not understand the difference between therapy and general medical care. One woman even came in with a completely broken arm. On the other hand, many of the patients were very appreciative of our time spent with them. They also really enjoyed seeing pictures of themselves when we printed out their care plans. One highlight of the day was when we were able to get a boy named Pablo to walk by himself for the first time. With the collaboration of an OT and PT implementing deep pressure, Pablo became aware of his proprioception and was able to walk. This made everyone happy that our hard work was paying off.
After a long day, we traveled to San Pedro where we spent the night in a nice hotel. San Pedro is a cute little hippie village on the shore of Lake Atitlan that caters to tourists. The next morning we traveled back to San Pablo for another day of therapy. This time, we worked in a church called Iglesia C.A. Siloe. We once again had many women with pains all over their body, and one child with an unknown diagnosis but had many signs of down syndrome. We also sent two therapists, Mily and Becky, and one student, Kylie, on a home visit to work with a blind and immobile man. The visit was a very eye-opening experience to see the close quarters that the people of San Pablo live in. They gave him a walker for support when he is transferring in and out of bed, and to help strengthen his muscles.
Now we are traveling home in more rain (shocker) down a steep mountain with no railing. It’s a wonder I can actually type right now. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, we will get home safe! Tomorrow is our last day, and we are really excited to climb a volcano and visit the dump!

Hasta manana!

-Megan and Kelly C. (Students from Daryl’s Group)