FIRST REPORT FROM THE PEDIATRICIAN

As posted on http://casadesion.blogspot.com/

We are trying to organize our pictures and can definitely send you something within the next couple of days. We saw 487 people on the days that we counted. This is likely an underestimate as many asked for medical treatment and advice for family members that were at home. On the day that we didn't count because we didn't have any extra help we saw at least 60 additional people so the total would be 547. If we counted the people we sent food supplements home to-they said they came just for vitamins and food supplements, in addition to who was seen the number would be close to 600. We gave out all of the vitamins except those that we left with Dominqa and the iodine we left with her to purify the water and to help with iodine deficiency. We left 6387chewable children's multivitamins. We gave out over 10,000 prenatal vitamins and over 3,000 children's multivitamins. We also gave out thousands of iron supplements-we bought all the pharmacy had. I think most everyone is anemic. Nearly all the kids had scarred up eardrums and many with active infections, lots of pneumonia and skin infections. I think the ear infections may well be all the smoke they are exposed to and that of course contributes to the wheezing. We left some antibiotics but we gave out a lot with all the people that we saw. We did leave nearly 500 doses of the albuterol to use in the pulmoaide and did leave a nebulizer for you to use. We brought 120 lice combs that we gave out. I don't know if you are interested in keeping records of this but Colette did some fundraising with her nonprofit and spent at least $1500.00 in buying supplies-vitamins, meds etc. We gave out several hundred hand knit hats as well as hundreds of baby outfits. The combs, formula and some medications were donated. I can look into trying to find some prenatal cards for following blood pressure weights etc. We saw at least 20 women that had goiters-they all also had marked signs of hypothyroidism-very low heart rates, in the 40's with skin rashes, hair loss and they all described they could hardly get out of bed. It is amazing they got there. Likely this is due to iodine deficiency, we treated that. They really do need vitamins and they know they need vitamins. Obviously they need to increase protein/calorie intake but the vitamin deficiencies may be even more easily treated. You should think about giving the kids fluoride supplements-it decreases the cavities by 68% and the kids could definitely use that. Lots of people with obvious rickets-bowed legs etc so getting more calcium is huge. We gave out lots of tums, I think that is a good fit since so many have stomach issues to start with. I know I am rambling but I would really lean towards treating pain with tylenol not ibuprofen. I tried to look up if anyone has looked into the incidence of Vitamin K deficiency which would cause bleeding problems but I couldn't find anything. It is generally uncommon in the newborn period but with their very restricted diets it is a possibility. You aren't supposed to take it when you are pregnant because it affects the platelets so that right there cuts out lots of people. There were lots of common questions about puberty and child development. I know access to food is a huge issue but you aren't supposed to wait too long to at least introduce some solid foods or you get a tongue thrust and trouble with eating-we saw several kids with this. Several adults with ganglion cysts around their wrists-likely from the repetitive motion of weaving. This isn't dangerous but as you can imagine feeling a lump makes people nervous. We had one girl with tetany-treated her with magnesium and calcium and the missionaries were going to follow up with her. We had more than one person ask if their child was going to die. I guess unfortunately that is part of their experience but pneumonia should respond quickly to antibiotics as should skin infections. I realize that people do die from those problems when not treated but it was sad for them to think that maybe things wouldn't get better-hopefully they will.
I'll get you a more complete report soon. Thanks. Jerrilyn

Project Plan

We have finally confirmed the dates of our next work trip to Guatemala. It will be April 7-14. Our plan for this trip will be to provide material and labor to build a new home for a family in the highlands of Guatemala. They are being evicted from their current home. This humble family is living in a small 1 room shack with dirt floors and an outhouse. Our plan is to help construct a larger new home with a concrete floor including a bathroom. This project is only partly funded with an additional $500 needed to complete. If anyone is able to help, no matter how much can be given, please visit our donation page and give whatever you can. Click here to donate now or click on the donate button at the top of the page. 100% of every donation is used in Guatemala to help children and their families.

Other activities will include a visit from "Penny Man" (reading super hero from Sunset Elementary school in St George Utah who promotes reading) to a small school to pass out books that have been donated. If time permits, we will also hold a gardening clinic in one of the villages to teach basic gardening skills to local families.

We need your help to make this project possible. Please donate today! Click here.

Medical team day 3

Finally some pictures. The team worked yesterday in a community that never gets any medical teams. They saw 120 people. The mayor of San Andres was most helpful with spreading the word to the people. His assistant thinks they will have even more people today. They helped save more lives yesterday. A small baby who was very ill was treated and given an antibiotic. He will come back today to be checked again. Two women who had dangerously high blood pressure were treated and set up to receive more treatment at the clinic in Panajachel. The top picture is of the pharmacy they have set up where they can give out free meds. Another picture is of the team in the van on the way to the pueblo and another is of the people lining up to be seen.
My two favorite stories from yesterday are of Edit and Samuel. Edit is the little girl from Los Robles who has a shunt and who we thought was blind. We had $400.00 donated for her care and thought we would use it for a CAT scan and another test. She worked a lot with the physical therapist who says that she does not think she is totally blind. That she focused her eyes on the PT and reached out for toys that she put in front of her. She said that her spine is starting to curve from being carried all the time in the sling on her mom's back. That she needs to sit more. The PT put her on her stomach and said she thinks she has never been put on her stomach before. She wants us to work with her like that until she has the strength to prop on her elbows. Pedro is taking them her wheelchair with the broken wheel today so they can fix it. The PT thinks with some work she will be able to sit. Also she thinks the money we have had donated for her would be better spent on Pediasure to overcome the malnutrition.
Now Samuel. He is the 5 year old whose life with saved with the financial help of three people on this group. He has worked with the PT all 3 days so far. yesterday Pedro brought him and his mom to our new location and he did PT all day. The PT told me that she would do 30 to 45 minutes with him until he was sweating and then let him take a half hour break and then work again. When she first started with him, he could not put any weight on his legs at all. Yesterday he took his first two steps. It makes me cry writing it and made me cry when she told me. He went from a "normal" little boy back in Oct. to having spinal meningitis [ we think], to almost dying, to not being able to walk, to starting to walk again. The PT says he needs a walker.ANYBODY GOT ONE FOR A FIVE YEAR OLD? OR WANT TO DONATE THE BUCKS?
We are so grateful for this team and all they have done. One more precious life saving for these people. THANK YOU GARY AND SYLVIA and team.
Vicki Dalia
20.vicki@gmail.com

More on the medical team

The report from the medical team yesterday was awesome. Not as many people. They saw 45 more in Los Robles. Pedro was afraid to spread the word too far as he did not want to have to turn people away. The team said they had a great day. It was slow enough that they got to do some educating as well as treating. They did have some great things happen and probably saved a couple of people's lives. One was an older woman. Her blood sugar was over the roof as was her blood pressure. Gary , the team leader, felt she needed more continuing help so he paid for her to go to Panajachel with one of the members of the team and be seen by a doctor who has a regular clinic there. Another life they might have saved was a child who had a seriously high fever and pneumonia. They did nebulizer treatments and gave him an antibiotic presription. None of these things could his family have afforded. They also did physical therapy on many people and other nebulizer treatments.
Today they are in a community about 25 minutes from Los Robles. One that never gets in medical care. The private school that my children went to when we lived in Panajachel provided us with 6 kids today and 3 tomorrow to act as translators. The kids are donating their services.
I am excited to hear how today went.
Yesterday I made contact with a very interesting person. She heads an organic gardening program in Chichi, Guate. They have a full blown garden and will work with Pedro and Jose for two whole days teaching them composting and raised beds and bug control without high powered chemicals and lots more. I have been talking to Pedro about what I want and he does not understand so this will be a wonderful aid. Plus if i can train Jose as our master gardener, I can raise his salary [ with more donations] and have someone to head the teams that want to work in this area.Pedro I know I have not told you about this yet as you have been too busy with the teams, but I will go over it in detail next week.
Vicki Dlaia
Safe Homes for Children

Fundraising!!!

FUNDRAISING in on my mind right now. My husband informed me last night that when the orphanage reopens, [And it will happen some day], we will need a significant amount more money coming in or we will have to drop some of our programs. My response was NO WAY. What am I going to drop?. Feeding 70 elementary kids the only decent meal they get? Or the 275 kids who get the incaparina twice a month that makes a major difference in their nutritional level? Or the infant feeding program that saves these babies' lives? Or the emergency medical programs we do? Or the 3 hours of tutorials we do each day for the community kids? And what about the ones I want to start. The pregnant women's program I want to start where we educate them on nutrition,parenting skills, etc. And provide them with a birthing room where they can deliver in a clean and safe environment. I want to increase our community programs not eliminate them. And I sure do not want to not open the orphanage. So it means more fund raising. And more than a 60 year old woman with 18 kids and 17 grandkids can do by herself. SO I NEED YOUR HELP. Here is one example of what one couple is doing. They came and visited us in Nov. and then went home and put this together. I need everyone to pass the word to all they know. I need lots of people to do small or large fundraisers in their hometowns. i know we can do this together because I know dropping any of our existing programs is not an option.
thanks
Vicki
Safe Homes for Children

Medical team saw 141 people today!!

This a post from Vicki at Safe Homes for Children.

The medical team, organized through Safe Homes for Children, saw 141 people today at Los Robles. They set up at the elementary school. There was no school this week anyway so it did not inconvenience the teachers. Pedro said when they opened there were 45 people waiting. I called the team tonight and asked for the best story. They gave me two. One group is mostly from Kentucky and the first person they saw was an elderly man. When they asked him to take his shirt off so they could examine him, he revealed an under t-shirt with the words KENTUCKY on it. It made the team feel like they were where they were supposed to be. The second story involved the physical therapist. She was worried there would not be anything for her to do. But the reality of it was that she, with Pedro as her translator, worked on 16 patients and taught them things they could do at home. They saw many moms and babies as well as older people. They brought a nebulizer and used it on several patients. The team was composed of 15 people from the US and 6 Guatemalan translators. Pedro told me everyone was so happy about how the day had gone.