Thursday morning started out at the Quinta again waiting for Dr. Karla to come and pick us up for the day. The plan was to check on Dayana, pick up Edwin and his mom and go with them the neurologist appointment, and go to the school to do consults.
The school was having a mother’s day celebration so we didn’t do consults…we joined the party! Red and white streamers draped across ceilings and around staircases and down the walls. Music and food and mothers with their children in every classroom. I introduced Debbie and Ryan to the special needs classroom and all my friends there. They were greeted with hugs and smiles and joy. When we walked in Dr. Karla had already joined the festivities and was striking at the piñata. I toured them around the whole school where not one room was without a party. Mother’s Day is on Monday May 30th but since it is a national holiday and there will be no school on Monday the celebrations are today. The students were in their best clothes; dresses, high heels, collared shirts, dress shoes, sparkly bows, combed/gelled hair. The people are some of the poorest in the world…but they take pride in what they have. They wash their clothes daily and always look nice. Joy was all around and Debbie and Ryan had the chance to see some of the Latin festivities.
Dayana was still not doing well and her frail little body still functioning with machine and medicines. One of the college students from Indiana donated an inflatable pool raft and bed sheets to be given to Dayana’s mom to help her sleep. Ryan and I took turns blowing the raft up and when it was inflated Debbie, Ryan, and I brought the raft, the sheets, and some food to Dayana’s mom. She was so grateful and welcoming to our presence there in her time of suffering. Then Dr. Karla offered to pray with her and all the mothers there sleeping on that cement. They all eagerly gathered in a circle holding hands and we linked hands too. Dr. Karla started the prayer and, in true Nica form, everyone prayed their individual prayers aloud simultaneously. I closed my eyes, listened, and prayed with them. Prayers of praise and glorifying God and his power and grace. Prayers asking for healing, mercy, strength, peace, protection, blessings. Prayers of thanks. Prayers for others, for their little ones in the hospital, and for themselves. When I opened my eyes I saw that more people had come to gather and pray with us. I saw tearful eyes, and faithful hearts. We hugged with them and I could not help but feel overwhelmed by their situation.
Edwin and his mom had an appointment with the neurologist. When we arrived the clinic looked closed and I began to feel bad for Edwin’s mother who had travelled by bus all the way into town for the appointment carrying little Edwin in her arms. However, when Dr. Karla called the doctor, he said he was on his way. We waited and ate some snacks that Debbie was always prepared with. Edwin can swallow but not chew. Eating is hard and always occurs with coughing and a mess. In the States he would probably have a gastric feeding button, which is a little tube that has a closure outside of the body and goes directly into the stomach so formula/nutrition can be put directly in bypassing the mouth and avoiding the risk of choking and pneumonia caused by little bit of formula from the mouth getting in the lungs. Here in Nicaragua, these gastric buttons are rarely done for lack of supplies in the hospitals and more so due to risk of infection. When the doctor arrived, the neurologist spoke with Edwin’s mother and Dr. Karla to get the story. Then he assessed Edwin who cried an awful cry that screamed of the little air that was passing to his lungs. He was rigid at times and not at others. He was being very stimulated so he did not appear to have a seizure while we were there. After the physical assessment of reflexes, eye movement/reactivity, and neurological function, Edwin’s mother quickly picked him up and cradled him in her arms until his cry faded to a sob then melted in to smiles. They then did a test called an electroencephalogram to measure his brain waves. Edwin sat I his mama’s lap while the neurologist attached many little electrodes on his scalp to pick up the electrical activity in his brain and light flashes try to trigger the abnormal/seizure brain activity. The test does not hurt at all. The brain waves were recorded and read from the computer. The neurologist concluded that Edwin is epileptic (has seizures) and that his brain waves are slow. He prescribed some medicines and a follow-up visit in a month.
We made sure Edwin would be able to get these medicines and then dropped them off at the bus stop to catch a ride back home. Then, Dr. Karla, Ryan, Debbie, and I called it a day.
We went by my host family house and had lunch at 3:30pm since we hadn’t had a stopping point before then. Gallo pinto (traditional nica rice/beans dish) avocado, nica cheese, and fresh tortilla. We played with Gabriel and sat on the porch listening to the rain hitting the tin roof. It was a beautiful day. The rains softened, the smell of the wet earth set in, the breeze full of honeysuckle like flower swept in, and the frogs began to sing.
When stopped by the hang out with Ginny and Cecil on the way back to the hotel. I was having language troubles that day and kept mixing up English and Spanish in my head….it was silly and we laughed a lot. We ordered pizza delivery at the hotel for a late dinner and spent quality time Debbie, Ryan, and I together before they left the next day.
The trip seemed so quick but packed with all the good stuff…love, God, new adventures, sharing life with loved ones, opening eyes, gaining perspective, friends, and laughter. I am so happy to have shared Nicaragua with Debbie and to work as nurses together was really special. Similarly, for Ryan to see more of my heart here and my passion to serve in the developing world was really good.
Love,
Ayla Landry
“Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And seeing them...he cried, "Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?"...God said, "I did do something. I made you." ~Sufi Teaching
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