As we turned the corner from our hotel there was a man selling fruit drinks. He’s there every morning. I guess it’s a good spot. It was foggy this morning but still possible to see the surrounding hills packed with houses. Quito is on a plateau on the edge of an old extinct volcano so the city is surrounded by hills. In many South American cities including Quito, the poor people live up high in the hills and the rich live in the valleys. It’s not like that at home.
We arrived at the hospital and walked in the front door for the first time this week. The exterior is plain and functional. The lobby includes a large waiting area and a flower garden with a few chairs. Inside there are many doors that require an electronic pass to enter. Many of us were given a pass so that we could move between the entrance to the operating rooms and the cafeteria. There are security guards roaming the halls. It seems safe inside but then I don’t live here.
The patient delivery to the pre operative area was efficient. We were hoping to have access to the one room that the local doctors were using so that we could finish our cases that were supposed to be spread into 3 rooms but now we had only 2. We labeled the ancient anesthesia machine with signs that said..DO NOT USE!
Luckily, the room used by the local surgeons became available so that we could get through the scheduled cases quickly. Of course the challenge in the new room was to familiarize ourselves with a different anesthesia machine. Although it seemed more modern than some we had been using, it had many alarms that we couldn’t control despite the fact that the alarms related to things that weren’t being measured. All alarms are in Spanish too! But they are obvious with red flashes in the area where the alarm is triggered. Since we saw the local anesthesiologist leave the patient for long periods of time, I suspect that a nurse who was left to record vital signs was able to deal with disarming the bells and whistles as they occurred. The only really good part was the electric OR bed. All other rooms had old and hard to work mechanical beds.
The OR day ended after lunch. We then worked together to pack up unused drugs and supplies to bring to the next mission. Everything gets brought back to Rochester in big hockey bags to be delivered to a storage area where someone restocks needed surgical and anesthesia items. Since many of the items that were brought like anesthesia circuits, syringes, IV tubing and non narcotic drugs , packing up was rather easy.
We went back into Quito using Uber. The nearly hour long ride costs between $5 and $9 depending on time of day. Since security is a big concern, the site sends a code that the driver must use before starting the trip. In fact Thursday night when I was stuck in traffic on my way to the fancy restaurant, uber texted me to ask if I was ok because they could see that we hadn’t moved in quite some time. I wonder what the elections on Sunday will do to improve the rising poverty and crime rate in Ecuador. I haven’t felt endangered but most days have been hotel to hospital to hotel. That’s not much exposure.
Since I had checked out of my room early in the morning, I left my luggage in Nancy’s room. She wanted to nap. I decided to shop. HUGS which is https://helpusgivesmiles.org/ the group that organizes these missions has a yearly gala where they auction small items from the various sites we visit. They ask us to buy a few things that can be contributed to the auction. Last year I sent several beaded bracelets from Guatemala that I was told set off a bidding war because they were so pretty. They cost about $10 each. My shopping began at a local handicraft shop across the street from the hotel. They had some nice items that incorporated typical woven fabrics into small purses. I bought several. I also visited a local market with a great number of stalls selling just about anything handicraft made. I found lots of our group shopping there too.
I returned to the hotel to retrieve my luggage in time to go on our bus to a private home in Cumbaya, a charming town outside Quito. As we drove into town, it looked like any nice American suburb with nicely maintained shops and restaurants.
Vito Quatela, the surgeon who heads HUGS, has been coming to Ecuador for over 20 years. He has known numerous wealthy people who have donated to the hospital and HUGS. Susana, a donor whose home we visited, lives in a modern beautiful apartment with an outdoor terrace that looks out over the city. The elevator opens directly into Susana’s apartment. There was a fire in the outdoor fireplace although it wasn’t very cold. It is a very elegant place. Usually the team dinner is held at a restaurant, but Ecuador closes all bars and forbids the sale of liquor 48 hours prior to an election. Perhaps we could learn from that! Susana has a large wine collection that she offered to have us enjoy while dinner for the group had been brought in from a caterer.
Nancy and I and Catherine, one of the surgeons all had late night flights out of Quito. We had arranged to be picked up from the dinner and taken to the airport. We missed dessert. But getting through all the formalities at the airport is always a big unknown so we needed to leave a time buffer. We had a short stay in the lounge before boarding time. Unfortunately there aren’t any flights with lie flat seats for an overnight flight. At least I had a business class seat so it was roomy. My trip takes me through Miami airport again. It is one of my least favorite airports. It is all the same airline so I won’t have to change terminals.
It’s been another challenging and great week. I met lots of new people and saw old friends. At home my friends all tell me how much they admire my involvement in this work. But the real reward is from the patients we help. You may recall that we were applauded by the waiting families as we walked towards the intake clinic. We get back in gratitude much more than we give. Next stop…Guatemala in June.
Landed in Miami at 4:40am Saturday.
The Adventures of Anne 