Day 2: Chamelecon Clinic

The Chamelecon Clinic is surrounded by one of the poorest squatter slums in all of San Pedro Sula.

Fortunately, after having worked together just one day in San Antonio, we were now a team. When Dr. Elliot arrived at Chamelecon Saturday morning and realized his nurse Jessica and her translator Magdalena were not there yet, he was understandably distressed and anxious. He was wondering how he alone could possible take care of all the mothers and children already waiting expectantly outside to see a pediatrician.

Jessica and I were part of the second group to head over to the clinic that morning. On the way, we received an urgent call from Walter. He sent us on a mission to buy an infant scale, resulting in our late arrival; but with a brand new infant scale in hand the doctors were both pleased and relieved.

Saturday’s brigade was one of the most remarkable events I have witnessed in my life. Our team was joined by the remarkable HOPE worldwide Honduras volunteers. When we arrived, they were going full tilt stocking the pharmacy shelves with all the medicine and supplies we had hand-carried from the States. Simultaneously, Hector Cruz and his group were completing eye exams. They fit 103 people with reading glasses today.

Our U.S. team was obviously hand-picked by God as everyone took on a role perfectly designed for them. Two sisters from the Spanish ministry in Boston, Lourdes and Blanca, assisted Dr. Olivia in the dental office all day. They were so busy treating another 40 or so patients again today, I did not ‘see’ them until late that afternoon.  Barbara Warnock, from the Groton-New London Church, put her head down in the pharmacy again, and here at Chamelecon they filled another 128 prescriptions. Walter and Freddie set up the nebulizers to provide desperately needed breathing treatments, for both children and adults.

One of the most heart-wrenching stories of the 80 children treated at Chamelecon, were the very last patients of the day. An older woman arrived at the clinic late Saturday afternoon with four children. As Jessica and Magdalena were triaging the family, it became obvious that two of the four were in such respiratory distress that Jessica immediately sent them for breathing treatments. Joshua and Angel, tiny shoeless baby boys, so weak they barely stirred while the masks were placed over their nose and mouth.  They were the sickest of the four children, but they responded very well and after several treatments were running around. When Joshua, Angel, Emma and Nicole’s grandma was asked, “where are the children’s mother and father?” she replied, “I don’t know.” Our hearts broke for this heroic grandma was doing the best she could to provide for her grandchildren, but resources, financial and otherwise are obviously scarce.

Walter made a trip last October to visit with Henry and Hector and see the incredible work they are doing and assess how the Procurement Program could best expand the support started last year. We had sent donations of medicine and medical supplies, such as antibiotics, anti-fungals, pain relievers, cold medicine and more, in support of a medical brigade organized by John Mahaghan of the Orlando Church of Christ last year. We were intrigued and encouraged by their reports of the hundreds of patients they had seen. But during his time in SPS, Walter was challenged and convicted that there was so much more the Procurement Program could do to help the poor there. He promised the brothers and sisters that he would return with a team of at least one pediatrician and bring the medicine and supplies needed to treat not only the needy outside the church, as well as every child of each church member who needed medical care.

» Day 3:  San Pedro Sula Church of Christ

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