We had our first all nighter and I just now am recovered enough to blog about it! We returned from Kamagayan at about 1030 pm only to find in the clinic one woman had just delivered and two more were doing cervical dilation exercises to prepare for their deliveries. Lindsay and I went upstairs to find a new mother breast feeding her babies and two other women squatting and stretching to prepare for labor. There were about 4 nurses and 2 midwives so we decided to go home, pop some popcorn and watch House while we waited for a call. Around 12:30 am they said the women were both "active" aka 7 cm dilated. We rushed over only to find that both women are new time moms and 7cm means still about 4 more hours. Finally at 1 am Lindsay and I resigned and went to bed.
I was in the middle of a great dream when I heard my phone ring. It was Hilary at 3 am letting us know the women were both at 9cm and come quick. We hurried over to find more waiting. Woman 1 was barely pushing and not cooperating with the midwives. Woman 2 (on a bed about 3 feet over) was squatting on the ground moaning in Cebuano. We watched and sweated and yawned for about an hour. Finally, they gave up on woman one and told her if she didn't start pushing properly they would send her to the hospital (read previous post about disgusting-ness of the hospital). Attention was now shifted to woman two who finally got on the bed. Lindsay was in charge of assisting with the baby for woman two and I for woman one. We were racing to see who would come out first and she nailed me by nearly two hours.
Woman two, like a total champ, pushed her baby boy out in about 30 mins- pretty impressive for a first timer. Unfortunately, the baby was a total conehead (or so we thought until we saw baby 2) and the mom was pooped. Lindsay got to help clamp the cord, clean the cord and suction out the baby's throat. She took vitals, helped with the mom and took first place for getting her baby out by 4:30 am.
As baby two is happily suckling, woman one is still not pushing properly. Finally they tell her to get off the table and start squatting. At 5:30 am they let her back on the operating table and try to get her to cooperate. My eyes are heavy and I am anxious to get this baby out. By 6 am she is still pushing and seems to make no progress. Baby one's head is showing but she can't seem to get it out. 6:15 same thing. They give her an ultimatum of 7 am and the sun starts to rise. Roosters are being obnoxious and the street is waking up to go to work. By 6:35 am she births the ultimate cone head boy. She is relieved and the baby is healthy aside from the cone and the chord around the neck! I assist with suction, vitals, bathing etc.
It's now 7 am and Lindsay and I quickly sneak back to our apartment to get some shut eye. We sleep from 7-830 and then are awoken to go visit patients at the public hospital. When we walk back over to the clinic we see that the midwives are just then finishing suturing woman one. One of the midwives, Shayne, takes us to the public hospital. Shayne was up all of the night and delivered two of the babies. Our visit was brief as Shayne was so exhausted she couldn't even spot our patient in the hospital!
After a night of work we were happy to see three healthy babies! We then embarked on our Saturday at the beach.... Next post for some amazingness!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Meet the Woman Behind the Curtain
So all of you have been reading my praise of Hilary and David Overton. Now, for those of you in Seattle get you get the chance to meet them, see videos and a nice presentation, enjoy a dinner and open your pocketbooks! Hilary and David will be in Seattle (Bellevue Maydenbauer Center) in late April or early May. If you would like to attend their dinner and presentation let me know and I will have them send you an invite! I really hope any of you who are free take the opportunity to meet this couple and hear everything about the clinic and see some pictures! Post a comment on this blog and email me your address at leverrilli@gmail.com
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Father Heinz Part II
Yesterday was a long day. This post will be two sections so that I can explain the length of the day without having all the readers nod off. My mom has requested that my blog entries not be so sad! Lets give this one a shot...
Yesterday evening at 8 pm (after a 2 hour nap) Lindsay and I piled in David's truck with I HEART TEXAS on the back, typical Texans :-) . We were headed to meet Father Heinz again for a trip to Kamagayan- a low income area where women are sold as prostitutes (aka really ghetto red light district). When we entered we were let in by two "Barangay Guards" who monitor the people coming in an out so as to warn the pimps of the weekly police raids.
The neighborhood was complete mayhem. Children running around EVERYWHERE. They all wanted our blessing, wanted to know our names and lastly cookies. There were groups of men gambling with dice and coins and women loitering everywhere. Father Heinz is just as beloved in this neighborhood as the dump and knows nearly everyone by name and usually could share a bit about their story.
As we ventured further into the neighborhood it seemed as if we were entering a maze of huts- each one crowded with people, pets and babies. We saw many pregnant women and handed out flyers about Glory Reborn. Most of them were at least 5-6 mos and had received no prenatal care.
The women in the "back area" were marked as the cheaper women that local men would visit. The majority of the women and men had large scars on their arms from shooting up so many drugs. (Don't worry mom, I wore long sleeves, pants and closed toed shoes). Many of the women were so drugged up they could hardly speak and definitely could not stand. We also saw a few cross dressers- an interesting trend coming to Cebu City.
After distributing condoms and chatting with the children we headed to the front end, where women can entice foreign customers (most of whom are Korean). This area was more of the same but with less hidden back huts. The women were all very nice and talkative. They love to chat with Father Heinz and David and have immense respect for both of them. We met many girls who loved to call Lindsay, "Lindsay Lohan" and ask us about San Diego and if we knew their cousins in the US etc.
Next we experienced the true essence of the red light activity. A cab, or "runner", would slowly pull up and the pimps would clap their hands, whistle and all the girls would come out and line up in front of the headlights of the car. While fixing their hair and pursing their lips, one or several would be swept away and returned in an hour. The rate is 500 pesos/hour or 12 USD.
I spent most of my time staying very close to David and talking with little kids. Father Heinz warned us that these kids are actually "monsters" disguised as children. Most of them don't have living parents or their parents are too high on drugs to take care of them. This makes for a situation of absolute mayhem. The kids take care of each other and know exactly how to get what they want out of Father Heinz (which is generally cookies). Last night when they were begging for cookies finally he gave in and said "fine, sing a song for me and do a dance and I will give you cookies." A true testament to where they live, the children started dancing like pole dancers. They were busting out more provocative moves than I have ever seen (even in sweaty Blanchet high school dances!).
At the end of the night Lindsay, David and I walked back to the car discussing the logistics of trying to end sex trafficking. It is a loaded subject as most of the girls don't have many options if they try to leave. They are illiterate, have no skills and many are addicted to drugs. This job is the only one they are "qualified" for. Similar to the dump, it seems like these people don't stand a chance. If I were to return in ten or twenty or even fifty years it would probably look the same.
P.S. PICTURES TOMORROW! :-)
Yesterday evening at 8 pm (after a 2 hour nap) Lindsay and I piled in David's truck with I HEART TEXAS on the back, typical Texans :-) . We were headed to meet Father Heinz again for a trip to Kamagayan- a low income area where women are sold as prostitutes (aka really ghetto red light district). When we entered we were let in by two "Barangay Guards" who monitor the people coming in an out so as to warn the pimps of the weekly police raids.
The neighborhood was complete mayhem. Children running around EVERYWHERE. They all wanted our blessing, wanted to know our names and lastly cookies. There were groups of men gambling with dice and coins and women loitering everywhere. Father Heinz is just as beloved in this neighborhood as the dump and knows nearly everyone by name and usually could share a bit about their story.
As we ventured further into the neighborhood it seemed as if we were entering a maze of huts- each one crowded with people, pets and babies. We saw many pregnant women and handed out flyers about Glory Reborn. Most of them were at least 5-6 mos and had received no prenatal care.
The women in the "back area" were marked as the cheaper women that local men would visit. The majority of the women and men had large scars on their arms from shooting up so many drugs. (Don't worry mom, I wore long sleeves, pants and closed toed shoes). Many of the women were so drugged up they could hardly speak and definitely could not stand. We also saw a few cross dressers- an interesting trend coming to Cebu City.
After distributing condoms and chatting with the children we headed to the front end, where women can entice foreign customers (most of whom are Korean). This area was more of the same but with less hidden back huts. The women were all very nice and talkative. They love to chat with Father Heinz and David and have immense respect for both of them. We met many girls who loved to call Lindsay, "Lindsay Lohan" and ask us about San Diego and if we knew their cousins in the US etc.
Next we experienced the true essence of the red light activity. A cab, or "runner", would slowly pull up and the pimps would clap their hands, whistle and all the girls would come out and line up in front of the headlights of the car. While fixing their hair and pursing their lips, one or several would be swept away and returned in an hour. The rate is 500 pesos/hour or 12 USD.
I spent most of my time staying very close to David and talking with little kids. Father Heinz warned us that these kids are actually "monsters" disguised as children. Most of them don't have living parents or their parents are too high on drugs to take care of them. This makes for a situation of absolute mayhem. The kids take care of each other and know exactly how to get what they want out of Father Heinz (which is generally cookies). Last night when they were begging for cookies finally he gave in and said "fine, sing a song for me and do a dance and I will give you cookies." A true testament to where they live, the children started dancing like pole dancers. They were busting out more provocative moves than I have ever seen (even in sweaty Blanchet high school dances!).
At the end of the night Lindsay, David and I walked back to the car discussing the logistics of trying to end sex trafficking. It is a loaded subject as most of the girls don't have many options if they try to leave. They are illiterate, have no skills and many are addicted to drugs. This job is the only one they are "qualified" for. Similar to the dump, it seems like these people don't stand a chance. If I were to return in ten or twenty or even fifty years it would probably look the same.
P.S. PICTURES TOMORROW! :-)
Friday, April 3, 2009
This one is a little messy
OK.. this blog post is about a delivery so if you are weak (aka Austin) don't read. If you aren't (Annie) be prepared for a really fab and insane story!
Yesterday, Lindsay and I were doing pre-natal check-ups when a woman came in complaining of labor pains. Luckily the clinic was pretty quiet so we snuck up to the delivery room to get in on the action. She was a 21 year old woman and it was her second baby. After the internal examination, the nurse, Maritess, determined she was bout 8 cm- 2 cm away from being ready to deliver. She got on the delivery table and within about 20 mins out popped a baby girl.
So, for those of you who know anything about childbirth, after the baby comes out the nurses (or docs) need to wait for the placenta to come out. They generally softly tug on the umbilical chord until it comes out. It's a bloody mess. In this instance, the umbiliical chord seemed strangely long. Maritess was pulling and pulling. Finally, she reached the end and NO PLACENTA was attached. Lindsay and I both had the expression on our face of WTF but didn't' say much.
Instantly, we were in emergency mode. Maritess quickly put on a giant glove that covered her all the way up to her elbow and put a normal glove on top of it. While the baby suckled her mom's nipple, Maritess took the plunge for the Placenta Retrieval Mission (PRM). Maritess is a small Filipina mother of six and within seconds she was elbow deep in the patient trying to find the placenta. After about five minutes of going in and out with no luck she finally pulls out the placenta- nearly completely in tact! Sweat is pouring down her face and she says "THANK YOU JESUS" and takes a large breath. Lindsay and I sit in astonishment and are also sweating profusely (nothing out of the ordinary for us).
As it turns out, we witnessed a very rare occurrence. This is something the clinic will see maybe once a year and in the US will rarely happen. An unhealthy placenta will detach from the umbilical chord if the patient doesn't have enough protein to make for a strong hold. This can happen if the woman is a smoker, vegetarian or malnourished. In this woman's case she is neither a smoker nor vegetarian, which made us thing she was just incredible malnourished. Had the placenta detached before the baby came out the baby would have lost all oxygen supply and died while still in utero.
Retrieving the placenta even if the baby is out has complications of its own. The woman will now remain on antibiotics for a week to ensure that the leftover pieces of the placenta don't cause infection. Essentially, the PRM was a very rare medical occurance. The baby and mom are healthy but wow!
My time is running out- beach tomorrow. More posts later!
Yesterday, Lindsay and I were doing pre-natal check-ups when a woman came in complaining of labor pains. Luckily the clinic was pretty quiet so we snuck up to the delivery room to get in on the action. She was a 21 year old woman and it was her second baby. After the internal examination, the nurse, Maritess, determined she was bout 8 cm- 2 cm away from being ready to deliver. She got on the delivery table and within about 20 mins out popped a baby girl.
So, for those of you who know anything about childbirth, after the baby comes out the nurses (or docs) need to wait for the placenta to come out. They generally softly tug on the umbilical chord until it comes out. It's a bloody mess. In this instance, the umbiliical chord seemed strangely long. Maritess was pulling and pulling. Finally, she reached the end and NO PLACENTA was attached. Lindsay and I both had the expression on our face of WTF but didn't' say much.
Instantly, we were in emergency mode. Maritess quickly put on a giant glove that covered her all the way up to her elbow and put a normal glove on top of it. While the baby suckled her mom's nipple, Maritess took the plunge for the Placenta Retrieval Mission (PRM). Maritess is a small Filipina mother of six and within seconds she was elbow deep in the patient trying to find the placenta. After about five minutes of going in and out with no luck she finally pulls out the placenta- nearly completely in tact! Sweat is pouring down her face and she says "THANK YOU JESUS" and takes a large breath. Lindsay and I sit in astonishment and are also sweating profusely (nothing out of the ordinary for us).
As it turns out, we witnessed a very rare occurrence. This is something the clinic will see maybe once a year and in the US will rarely happen. An unhealthy placenta will detach from the umbilical chord if the patient doesn't have enough protein to make for a strong hold. This can happen if the woman is a smoker, vegetarian or malnourished. In this woman's case she is neither a smoker nor vegetarian, which made us thing she was just incredible malnourished. Had the placenta detached before the baby came out the baby would have lost all oxygen supply and died while still in utero.
Retrieving the placenta even if the baby is out has complications of its own. The woman will now remain on antibiotics for a week to ensure that the leftover pieces of the placenta don't cause infection. Essentially, the PRM was a very rare medical occurance. The baby and mom are healthy but wow!
My time is running out- beach tomorrow. More posts later!
Amoxicillian Blanket
Wednesday afternoon Lindsay and I got a ride to the Catholic University here in Cebu and met a tall, thin, blonde, pale German man named Father Heinz. As you can imagine, he sticks out here like a sore thumb. We accompanied Father Heinz and a seminary student from Chile, Sergio, to one of the dump sites in Cebu. Father Heinz visits the dumps every day (rotating to different sites) and administers basic health check ups, distributes medication and hands out crackers to the children. We all crowded into the back of a truck/van and stuffed in five or six large boxes full of pediatric medications, vitamins and crackers. It will be difficult to describe everything we saw but I'll give it a shot! (As a side note, next week I'll be able to upload PICTURES!).
When we arrived at the dump site we were immediately bombarded by small children. They climbed all over the van, jumped up and down and yelled for Father Heinz. When we got out of the car everyone immediatley lined up. The children got in one line for snacks and the mothers (with children in arms) got in another line for medical attention. So many things shocked me about the place it's hard to list them all. For starters, the children (and adults) are absolutely filthy. Their faces, legs and feet are covered in dirt and dust. Their fingernails are black. Additionally, most of their hair is a lighter color than the average dark haired filipino. This is due to extreme malnutrtion. The majority of the children are dressed in old, ripped clothes. The babies don't have diapers and the majority of the children don't have any underwear at all. The risk for infection is huge.
I got to assit Fr. Heinz with the medical exams. The average temperature of the children there is about 102 degrees. Most children presented with ear infections, topical infections, fungus, diharhea and general malnutrition. I got to listen to some of their lungs and it was far worse than anything I could imagine. The sound through the stethescope was beyond crackling, it sounded like someone struggling to breathe with half or more of their air supply cut off. This is due to the rampant TB spread as well as the dust and debris they live in.
Nearly every child was given Amoxicillan, Vitamin C and some bisquits. This will hold them over for a few days until Fr. Heinz has to come back to do it all over again. He cannot improve lives there merely just keep them going.
After we finished distributing meds and checkups we ventured into the "neighborhood." The people have built little huts atop mounds and mounds of compacted trash. There were small fires burning everywhere and children running around in the dark. It was harder for me to take much in during this time because I was so fearful of stepping on something or losing my way. We passed by a TV with the sound blaring playing "Isn't it hard to see, we're in Heaven." How ironic. We moved further along and visited a few of the people who were too sick of frail to make it for the checkups. We saw one woman who looked about 70 years old. She was frail, squatting, voice crackling and emaciated. We found out she is 24 and dying of AIDS. She just delivered a baby but is too sick to care for it and the neighbors (aka on the other side of the cardboard box) are taking care of it.
We left after spending a total of two hours at the site. My mind was filled with questions. I saw two pregnant women and multitudes of children. 2500 people live atop this trash and based on the reproduction rate this population will keep on enduring. Most of these people never leave the dump site. This is their reality and it will remain a part of Cebu most likely forever. I will get pics up next week so this will make more sense.
When we arrived at the dump site we were immediately bombarded by small children. They climbed all over the van, jumped up and down and yelled for Father Heinz. When we got out of the car everyone immediatley lined up. The children got in one line for snacks and the mothers (with children in arms) got in another line for medical attention. So many things shocked me about the place it's hard to list them all. For starters, the children (and adults) are absolutely filthy. Their faces, legs and feet are covered in dirt and dust. Their fingernails are black. Additionally, most of their hair is a lighter color than the average dark haired filipino. This is due to extreme malnutrtion. The majority of the children are dressed in old, ripped clothes. The babies don't have diapers and the majority of the children don't have any underwear at all. The risk for infection is huge.
I got to assit Fr. Heinz with the medical exams. The average temperature of the children there is about 102 degrees. Most children presented with ear infections, topical infections, fungus, diharhea and general malnutrition. I got to listen to some of their lungs and it was far worse than anything I could imagine. The sound through the stethescope was beyond crackling, it sounded like someone struggling to breathe with half or more of their air supply cut off. This is due to the rampant TB spread as well as the dust and debris they live in.
Nearly every child was given Amoxicillan, Vitamin C and some bisquits. This will hold them over for a few days until Fr. Heinz has to come back to do it all over again. He cannot improve lives there merely just keep them going.
After we finished distributing meds and checkups we ventured into the "neighborhood." The people have built little huts atop mounds and mounds of compacted trash. There were small fires burning everywhere and children running around in the dark. It was harder for me to take much in during this time because I was so fearful of stepping on something or losing my way. We passed by a TV with the sound blaring playing "Isn't it hard to see, we're in Heaven." How ironic. We moved further along and visited a few of the people who were too sick of frail to make it for the checkups. We saw one woman who looked about 70 years old. She was frail, squatting, voice crackling and emaciated. We found out she is 24 and dying of AIDS. She just delivered a baby but is too sick to care for it and the neighbors (aka on the other side of the cardboard box) are taking care of it.
We left after spending a total of two hours at the site. My mind was filled with questions. I saw two pregnant women and multitudes of children. 2500 people live atop this trash and based on the reproduction rate this population will keep on enduring. Most of these people never leave the dump site. This is their reality and it will remain a part of Cebu most likely forever. I will get pics up next week so this will make more sense.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Jurassic Park
We are definitely adjusting and finding ways to fill our free time here. Since last posting, Lindsay and I have seen two more births (both girls) and gotten a chance to explore the city and get to know some of the midwives a bit better.
On Monday, I had the opportunity to visit a patient at CCMC (Cebu City Medical Center) who was transported there due to hypertension. I visited with a 19 year old midwife from the clinic. We took the jeepney to the clinic and it was "fun" until I felt like I had breathed in too much exhaust. Luckily it wasn't too far. CCMC looks like a building in the US that we would call abandoned, run down or in mid-demolition. It was downright ugly and scary.
The inside wasn't much better. We went up to the OB ward only to find 2 women (and two babies) sharing each bed. It looked miserable. In addition, their husbands, mothers, sisters or family would be sitting with them; feeding them, wetting their faces with towels and trying to help them recover in a disgusting room. We only stayed for about ten minutes and while we were leaving I looked down into one of the buckets and saw a mixture of many fluids, rags, and general disgust. We peeked in the emergency room only to see the homicide police standing over the bed and quickly exited. It was an interesting experience but I'm not sure I need to go back. It is a terrible hospital and I've seen terrible hospitals in El Salvador as well. I'm not sure how much I can learn from the shock factor alone.
Anyway, yesterday Lindsay and I got our first taste of real Filipino food. We went to a restaurant with two of the midwives and had the national fish (can't remember the name), shrimp, delicious greens and a coconut desert. The desert was crazy; a hollow coconut packed with ice chips, coconut shavings, fruit, coconut milk, ice cream, sweet potatoes and some purple something. It was actually pretty good!
In the evening Lindsay and I went for a long walk in Hilary and David's neighborhood. It is up in the hills and much cooler and the view is incredible. We ventured into the area that Hilary calls "Jurassic Park" and amidst the rolling hills we saw a cow, a few local kids and some huts embedded in the palm trees. We took their cute dog Penny on the walk with us and she came back totally pooped and panting!
This morning Lindsay and I got a tour of the neighborhood. Unfortunatley, there is not much to see. Smatterings of markets, huts, urine in the streets and motos and tricycles nearly running us over. After the tour of the neighborhood we got to jump on a horse driven carriage. It was awesome! Only down side is that the horse looked so sick, overworked and unhealthy. I love horses and felt terrible about the treatment of the horse. We then stopped by the Cathedral and got a nice look at the strong catholic community here.
When we arrived back at the clinic we got to assit in Pre-natal exams. It was very basic but interesting and entertaining for us. We got to check the vitals of the woman and baby as well as measure the fundus height (how big her belly is) and listen for the babies heart beat.
This afternoon we are going to meet Father Heinz (a german catholic priest and renowned professor here). He will take us to the dump site where he administers basic health care to the children and then onto the red light district!
Tomorrow's post should be interesting....
Lauren
On Monday, I had the opportunity to visit a patient at CCMC (Cebu City Medical Center) who was transported there due to hypertension. I visited with a 19 year old midwife from the clinic. We took the jeepney to the clinic and it was "fun" until I felt like I had breathed in too much exhaust. Luckily it wasn't too far. CCMC looks like a building in the US that we would call abandoned, run down or in mid-demolition. It was downright ugly and scary.
The inside wasn't much better. We went up to the OB ward only to find 2 women (and two babies) sharing each bed. It looked miserable. In addition, their husbands, mothers, sisters or family would be sitting with them; feeding them, wetting their faces with towels and trying to help them recover in a disgusting room. We only stayed for about ten minutes and while we were leaving I looked down into one of the buckets and saw a mixture of many fluids, rags, and general disgust. We peeked in the emergency room only to see the homicide police standing over the bed and quickly exited. It was an interesting experience but I'm not sure I need to go back. It is a terrible hospital and I've seen terrible hospitals in El Salvador as well. I'm not sure how much I can learn from the shock factor alone.
Anyway, yesterday Lindsay and I got our first taste of real Filipino food. We went to a restaurant with two of the midwives and had the national fish (can't remember the name), shrimp, delicious greens and a coconut desert. The desert was crazy; a hollow coconut packed with ice chips, coconut shavings, fruit, coconut milk, ice cream, sweet potatoes and some purple something. It was actually pretty good!
In the evening Lindsay and I went for a long walk in Hilary and David's neighborhood. It is up in the hills and much cooler and the view is incredible. We ventured into the area that Hilary calls "Jurassic Park" and amidst the rolling hills we saw a cow, a few local kids and some huts embedded in the palm trees. We took their cute dog Penny on the walk with us and she came back totally pooped and panting!
This morning Lindsay and I got a tour of the neighborhood. Unfortunatley, there is not much to see. Smatterings of markets, huts, urine in the streets and motos and tricycles nearly running us over. After the tour of the neighborhood we got to jump on a horse driven carriage. It was awesome! Only down side is that the horse looked so sick, overworked and unhealthy. I love horses and felt terrible about the treatment of the horse. We then stopped by the Cathedral and got a nice look at the strong catholic community here.
When we arrived back at the clinic we got to assit in Pre-natal exams. It was very basic but interesting and entertaining for us. We got to check the vitals of the woman and baby as well as measure the fundus height (how big her belly is) and listen for the babies heart beat.
This afternoon we are going to meet Father Heinz (a german catholic priest and renowned professor here). He will take us to the dump site where he administers basic health care to the children and then onto the red light district!
Tomorrow's post should be interesting....
Lauren
Utilitarianism
For today's post, I am going to be very academic and use some terms I learned in an ethics class I took at Santa Clara (Hi Dr. McLean!). Here in Cebu City, and probably the rest of the Philippines, life is rough for about 95% of the population. Clean water is scarce. Men urinate in the streets. Stray animals roam the roads. Diet has inflicted high blood pressure, diabetes and malnutrition in many. Above all, life is lived in the sweltering heat and diarrhea and subsequent dehydration is the leading cause of death for children.
All of this being said (and seen) what are well-intentioned and educated Americans such as Hilary and David to do? Their fair skin and blond hair makes them look angelic to the people. The fact that Hilary has saved many lives in the clinic and helped deliver so many babies reinforces the savior aspect they exude around Filipinos. Filipinos often see these Americans as "God-sent" and will vocalize their respect.
For Hilary and David, the challenge has been to remain utilitarian in their goals and objectives at Glory Reborn. In order to help as many women and families as they can, they cannot help pay for complicated procedures and surgeries for those who need it. They must adhere to the greatest good for the greatest number of people and let those who are beyond their budget and scope go.
Hilary explained to us how difficult it was for her to realize this. Due to malnutrition, lack of education, lack of family planning and poverty, many women birth babies who are compromised in one more organ system. After Hilary has gotten to know the woman throughout the pregnancy, she would like to help pay for the procedures, blood transfusions, tests, surgeries etc. After spending nearly half a year's budget on one patient, she and David had to face the reality of their purpose in the Philippines; to help as many women as possible have safe, healthy pregnancies, labors and babies. In doing so, they cannot sponsor surgeries and expensive procedures for babies or mothers that really need it. Hilary has seen many babies die but in the end she has seen more live than die. It's a hard pill to swallow but in such desperate countries such as the Philippines you have to do what you can and realize that it won't be everything.
All of this being said (and seen) what are well-intentioned and educated Americans such as Hilary and David to do? Their fair skin and blond hair makes them look angelic to the people. The fact that Hilary has saved many lives in the clinic and helped deliver so many babies reinforces the savior aspect they exude around Filipinos. Filipinos often see these Americans as "God-sent" and will vocalize their respect.
For Hilary and David, the challenge has been to remain utilitarian in their goals and objectives at Glory Reborn. In order to help as many women and families as they can, they cannot help pay for complicated procedures and surgeries for those who need it. They must adhere to the greatest good for the greatest number of people and let those who are beyond their budget and scope go.
Hilary explained to us how difficult it was for her to realize this. Due to malnutrition, lack of education, lack of family planning and poverty, many women birth babies who are compromised in one more organ system. After Hilary has gotten to know the woman throughout the pregnancy, she would like to help pay for the procedures, blood transfusions, tests, surgeries etc. After spending nearly half a year's budget on one patient, she and David had to face the reality of their purpose in the Philippines; to help as many women as possible have safe, healthy pregnancies, labors and babies. In doing so, they cannot sponsor surgeries and expensive procedures for babies or mothers that really need it. Hilary has seen many babies die but in the end she has seen more live than die. It's a hard pill to swallow but in such desperate countries such as the Philippines you have to do what you can and realize that it won't be everything.
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