C.E.O.'s CORNER

T oday I have the story of Joylynn and Joanna, age 5 and 1 year 8 months who arrived at our doorstep from Region 1, the Northwest Interior. They live very near the Venezuelan border and traveled with their mom by minibus, pick up truck, and boats to get to Mercy. Dr. Daniel, one of our Resident Doctors discovered them when he was in the Northwest with a team of doctors. Joanna had a huge hemangioma (strawberry birthmark) on her face. When she was born it was smaller than a pea and grew as she grew to the size of a golf ball. Joanna was a candidate for our Wishbone Program and while checking on Joanna her sister was noticed to have a strange gate when she walked. Mom said she walked at age three. We had our orthopedic surgeon see Joylynn and he diagnosed her as having left sided paralysis at birth. Doctor lengthened the tendon in her left heel and in six weeks she should be able to walk normally. Dad arrived two days after the others and they left as a family 6 days later. They were two little girls with a better chance in life and a mom and daddy with big smiles and many thanks.

The same trip with Dr. Daniel brought us a woman who was in a passing boat (canoe) and a diagnosis of hemorrhaging was made. She had been bleeding since last September and before. She will have a hysterectomy on Tuesday of this week. Our hope is that the Amerindian Hostel will at least pay for her return to the interior when she is discharged.

Sr. Sheila Walsh, RSM ,
Chief Executive Officer

Today is Saturday and we have a team of doctors, nurses, student nurses and volunteers at the Dharam Shala, a residence for elderly, destitute man and women. It is operated by a father and his two daughters and is a value based residence of Hindu background. One of the local businesses is sponsoring the health clinic and our folks are doing blood pressures, weights, blood sugars and physicals on the residents. We will follow up at Mercy.

Last Saturday we had a similar team at a Health Fair for one of the local big companies. The team found several attendees with very high blood pressures or blood sugars that were off the chart. A woman they saw on Saturday was at our doorstep
Monday with a very inflamed cellulites of the breast. We had our surgeon treat her and will follow up with a biopsy in two weeks when the inflammation goes down.

I t seems this past month we have been on the road or poor people with substantial medical needs have found their way to Mercy through strange and difficult routes. We feel privileged to care for them when they are most vulnerable with no where to turn. Every day I am shown that if it is God’s work the money will come.

We continue to work on our repairs and creating new space for doctors. Our Internal Medicine doctor has arrived and will open a private office at our hospital on the third of September. We already have him seeing patients in the ER and on a referral basis. He is so badly needed.

The flooding seems to be over and we had little damage thankfully. The flowers are glorious and the sun is hot but made very bearable by the ocean breeze. Tomorrow I will go the Mahaica (leprosarium) for my biweekly visit. My other two partners Sr. Judith and Sr. Kenneth are on vacation. I will bring Katie and Nirvanna two volunteers. The patients are always happy to have visitors as their days are very long. They are a faith filled group of people. I have a great love for them.

These are busy days for everyone with School opening, vacations over and many folks starting whole new ventures. May the be safe, healthy and prosperous for all of you.

Sr. Sheila Walsh, RSM,

Chief Executive Officer
01-Sept-2007

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