1st Day at Shalom

Today was our first day working in the Shalom Clinic and it was an exciting one for all of us! Kari, Amanda, and I (Kalee) started out with a little boy named Angelo and he was so full of life. He was having foot pain in a particular spot because of the way he stood, so Kari and Rich fitted him with 2 SMOs (foot orthotics) and he was ecstatic! He face lit up and he said that his foot didn’t hurt anymore which is exactly what you long to hear as a PT. He even showed off his dancing skills and wouldn’t leave until he ran to give everyone hugs…twice. J Meanwhile, Erin, Jordan, and Steph were working with a girl who needed to trade in her wheelchair for a better fitting one. Jordan and Steph were our go-to foam/hammers/box cutter girls today and they ended up making her a new seat cushion to keep her properly aligned in her chair.

One “God Moment” that happened today was a boy coming in with one leg longer than the other and our SBU team had happened to bring the perfect sized chair. The chair had foot plates that were already set to a leg length discrepancy. We couldn’t have planned it even if we tried, but we have no doubt that HE gave us exactly what we needed. Jodee, Derek, and Christin worked with a 5 year old girl, Mary Kate, who has Cerebral Palsy. They got to fit her with a new wheelchair (a purple one at that!) and she couldn’t stop smiling. I think time and time again we were the ones blessed by the simple fact that a little bit of our time, knowledge, and a donated wheelchair can completely change not just their quality of life, but the quality of life of their parents and family. One family brought their son in, who clearly need a wheelchair for proper positioning, to get a stroller. After talking with them more, we learned that they needed to be able to push him down a gravel/dirt road to their house as well as use the bus system (aka they wanted something that folded) because they were unable to afford taxis. So even though it wasn’t our first choice, a stroller was the most practical choice for the family in their situation. Once again, they were overjoyed and the mother wouldn’t stop thanking us for listening to her concerns and for giving them a mode of transportation that she could handle. It was amazing.

Bev and Carrie worked with most of the adults that came to the clinic today. They worked with a 40 year old woman who had a huge leg length discrepancy with really bad weakness of her buttock muscles, causing her to walk with one leg completely straight and the other one bent to a 30 degree angle. She had arthritis in the knee that was bent due to overuse and the lack of control on the other lower extremity. They were able to take a random assortment of supplies to Rich and Ryan and within ten minutes, they were able to put together a 2 inch heel lift that completely helped her walk better and with more control.

One of the most exciting things that we experienced today, most of us for the very first time, was….AN EARTHQUAKE!!! It was crazy. I think we all felt it the first time but it went away quickly and we didn’t think much of it (Amanda commented that the wheelchair that was being pushed down the hall must be awfully heavy haha). Then another one came it was very noticeable that the ground was moving, so we got all of our patients picked up and took them outside where it was safer. It was so surreal and we joked afterwards that earthquakes were not mentioned in the trip brochure (and neither was earthquake training!).  The center of the earthquake was actually 4 hours south of us and it was a 5.8 quake. When we were getting ready to load up for the day, a man selling bread/rolls/pretzels was walking by so after we mustered up the courage, we ran and caught up with him and bought 2 bags of pretzels to eat on the way home. Day 2 and we are already living like locals J Supper was a delicious mixture of Peruvian food that our bus driver’s wife had made us and the planned meal cooked by the nuns. Needless to say, we were stuffed. We also had our first social excursion tonight...traveling by the “harmonic bus” to Lima’s downtown plaza. It was so much fun and we were blown away by the architecture everywhere. To cap the night off right, we had our first taste of Peruvian ice cream. 

We can’t thank you enough for continuing to pray for us as we are here.  We know that we may be here physically, but we have an army of people who are lifting us up back home. Please pray that we will continue to rest well and have the needed supplies, time, and knowledge for the patients coming in to the clinic. Buenos Noches!