Matilda

We’re getting ready to depart Coca today and I’m sitting at Hotel Auca watching monkeys swinging from the trees. This primitive little town has a beauty that is created by the lush lands and warm people. Our day started at 5am on a search for Matilda. She did not come to the clinic yesterday and was expected. We went into the province of Laredo looking for Matilda. After a 3 hour journey, we found a village of shy people who were nervous around our 3 taxis full of doctors, and film crew. We awkwardly looked around Matilda’s house but she was not there. Matilda’s children were there and with some coaxing we were able to have them show us around their humble abode which consisted of a 2 story platform built of bamboo poles and planks with a tin roof and dirt floor. There were 4 children but only the 2 girls were willing to talk with us. The youngest, Jessica was a beautiful 8-10 year old and the oldest girl, Solidad, seemed to be the matriarch of the children. After seeing where they live and drink from a natural stream, we offered to give the children a ride into town. We took them to the main shopping district and bough fruit , waited, fed the girls fruit, and waited. Jessica finally became trusting and even held my hand to cross the street. With patience, they asked us to give us a ride to their friends house and luck was on our side, Matilda walked out looking strong, tall and happy! She did not come to the clinic because she did not have the money for transportation and her husband had a fever. Her surgery was a success! Apparently skin graphs are a tricky procedure and because her graph was . This was a detective type house call with a wonderful ending. Matilda did not need more surgery but will come back to visit next year, and if at that time, they need to release her skin graphs for more movement. this can be done.
We’re getting ready for the whole team to arrive for surgeries with tomorrow being the screening day in Quito. There will be 30 patients from Coca and there will most likely be 100 surgeries with 3 operating rooms. This is a crew of 28 which is larger than normal and the hospital will be much nicer than the military hospital in Coca. The accommodations are rustic and communal and the team must get along this week even though they will be under constant pressure and exhaustion. Some of the team members arrived sick and some arrived exhausted already but last year I noticed that once the patients arrived, their energy was limitless.