Patient Advocate:

Cristina! I love you!

The signs of HOPE
This is out our front door

Beauty: On a particularly difficult day I walked outside and saw this...

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How many times did I hear these words repeated over and over again during my 4 years of nursing school? These words hit home in a new way this past week! I had two opportunities to push and flight on the behalf of two of my patients. What is a nurse’s role as patient advocate? Patient advocacy refers to speaking on a patient's behalf in order to protect their rights and help them obtain needed information and services. Scenario one of this week took place when a young mom I have come to know and love hit rock bottom, and decided to try and end her life. Thank God the pills she took did not have their desired affect, and the right people got to her in time! One of the other missionaries MJ and I spent the night with her and her 4 month old baby until she became stable. Here in Honduras there are not many Psych hospitals, especially not for the poor, and there is usually not much distinction between a psych ward, and a jail cell. It is so different from the states, but we were so able to really be present to her in this time, and speak the words of encouragement and positive thinking that she needed to hear to come out of this stage of depression. MJ and I looked at each other many times throughout the night as the baby got up to eat…and said to each other ‘I guess this is what it is like to be a Mom!” To all my friends who are Mom’s…especially the one’s who just had your new babies! You are WONDERFUL! She is doing much better now, and has returned to her baseline. The hardest part is that as far as future planning goes, there are not many options, and the one’s that do exist are not desirable. Our hope is that she stays on her meds, and if she is in this position again she will call for help for her own protection and that of her baby. Another woman and her young son crossed my path this week. I was working at the hospital, and I noticed a woman who looked to be about 7 month’s pregnant quietly crying in the corner. I felt compelled to talk to her, and she began to tell me that she was not pregnant, but had a hernia! She was hoping to be able to have surgery next week when we have another Medical Brigade coming. This woman was from the mountains and had no money. After a whole chain of events I ended up taking her from hospital to hospital over two days to get the necessary ultrasounds, blood tests etc… to determine her candidacy for surgery. It was a great experience to take a patient all the way through the process from initial consult, through all the steps, to confirmation of a surgery date! It will be beautiful to see her all the way through surgery and recovery next week! Pray all goes well, it will be a big surgery! Even though I am not working in any “specific” field of nursing, I am learning SO much! Today Cristina, my partner in crime and dear friend left! Part of the beauty of living in “community” here is you develop such strong relationships by living together, and sharing in so many of the same profound experiences. She’s on her way back to NYC to see what next step awaits her there! I know this is the beginning of a life long friendship! One of the beauties and hardships of life down here are all the hellos and goodbyes! But each person leaves their footprints! Tomorrow I am going with one of the nurses I work with to have her baby! She is having a scheduled C-Section at 7am tomorrow morning! I can’t wait to see this baby girl! Pray for the delivery! Until next time… Dios los Bendiga!!