We recently received this amazing email from Esther, a Brigader from Johns Hopkins University, who went on a Medical Brigade to Honduras in May/June of this year. Esther shares her positive experience, including how she witnessed GB staff handle a medical emergency involving an infant, whose life was thankfully saved, in part because of the quick response of GB medical staff!
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Dear Quique (GB Honduras Executive Director),
My name is Esther from Johns Hopkins University. As the leader of this May/June brigade to Honduras, I just wanted to let you know how the brigade went and what our group experienced.
Towards the end of the brigade, I spoke with many of our brigaders and they all said that they were having an amazing time and that they would definitely come back again. One student went as far as to say “I left my heart in Honduras.” Dr. Shah, our doctor from the States, said she would even spread the word to the other physicians at her practice.
All in all, I feel that the brigaders not only enjoyed their time in Honduras, but in helping the people, learned valuable life lessons; lessons that can’t be learned in the classroom or from a book. There was one particular patient that will probably remain in our memories for years – a mother came in with her baby of about 4-6 months. The infant was a purple/blue color and was suffering from bronchitis. The doctors and staff were able to transport the baby to a hospital in Tegucigalpa within a few hours and save that child’s life. In that moment, I think everyone was reminded of why we were there, working through the heat and tiredness. Had GB not been there, that infant’s future was uncertain to grim. While this was an extreme case, we all realized how important the work GB does is. By providing basic healthcare to these rural communities, we are giving them an opportunity to live and be healthy – a right that everyone is entitled to.
Our brigade coordinator was Moises and unanimously, we couldn’t have asked for a better coordinator. He was very involved with all the students and at the brigade site, helped us in Triage and the Pharmacy. He educated the group about the origins of GB, how various illnesses/conditions we see in the community stems from basic public health issues. We as a group are truly thankful for the effort and enthusiasm he brought to our brigade. We would love to have him as our coordinator again on future brigades!
This was my 3rd trip to Honduras and each trip is different from the last and better. I don’t foresee an end to my trips to Honduras and hope to become part of the in country staff in Honduras one day.
The brigaders at JHU would like to say thank you for providing us with such an amazing opportunity and hope to return to Honduras soon!
Thank you,
Esther
