Guerrero Clinic

GUERRERO MEDICAL CLINIC May 2010
(Please send me your experiences for inclusion - including pictures. Send no more than 600 words, along with your name, and contact information (in case I have questions) to Robert Yudkin at robert@guerreroclinic.org)
It is unfortunate that the April full clinic was canceled due to a heightened security alert. While Walter felt that the volunteers would be safe, he did the prudent thing and converted the full clinic into a May mini-clinic where he, Dr. Tom and Corky were supposed to go from Houston. My son, Josh, planned to fly in from Dallas while Jose, Josie and Jacob drove the van and trailer across the border. However, as things sometimes go, the unexpected happened and Walter, Tom and Corky never left Houston due to a last minute transportation issue. That left Josh along with the team driving the van as the sole American volunteers. Josh will share his story below. The only things that I will add is that he worked long hours in pre-op, came home exhausted, helped many people and is looking forward to going back in August to work with Luis on an outreach program. My wife and I are very proud of Josh
Famous Greek philosopher Heraclitus affirmed, “The only thing constant is change.” With respect to the Guerrero Surgery and Education Center, no clinic is the ever the same—the people we help, the people who volunteer, the problems, the accomplishments, are always different. This past clinic of May 2010 did not break the pattern. As the only non-native Mexican at the clinic, I got to see Mexico for what it really is. I saw the way in which the entire community of Guerrero, a small puebla of roughly 8,000, worked together to hold a very successful clinic. I arrived at the airport to be greeted by the clinic administrator Luis Cabrera, my “papá mexicano”. From there, we began—or I should say I began helping with a project that Luis had been working tirelessly on for months—going around Chihuahua City collecting food, mattresses, blankets, and other supplies from the government of Chihuahua to give to the patients. When we arrived at the clinic later that evening, Chava and Julio helped unload the supplies, we had dinner, and went to bed: We knew we were not going to be getting much sleep for the next couple of days. Like my previous two clinics, I was stationed in “pre-op.” There, I, along with Josefina, Norma, Alberto, Karla, Terre, and Doctor Gonzaléz, gowned the patients, cleaned their faces, took blood sugars and pressures, put various drops in their eyes, measured their pupils, determined the power of the lens, explained what pills to take, and so forth. For me, it was a time where I am not only got to be involved indirectly with the surgery process but also a chance to talk to patients. Sometimes it was joking or other times it was calming the anxious patient who had an astronomically high blood pressure. It was a demanding job that usually went from 8am to 8pm. Nnonetheless, it was very rewarding. In addition to working “pre-op,” Jacob, Luis, and I woke up early every morning to prepare food. Without veterans like Sandy to lend her knowledge and experience, the food tasted better with each passing day as we figured out what we wish we would have known when we started. Nonetheless, there were eggs, pancakes, sausage, toast, fruit and more every morning. Yet, for me, this clinic was a lot less about marveling over the surgeries and much more about getting to know the people and the community and to be amazed by how Guerrero came together. For the first two clinics I was in high school, the same age as many of the local volunteers. The magnitude of the impact the clinic had on my life is ineffable. It showed me that there are problems and ways to solve them. Moreover, it showed me that to combat such issues successfully, it is imperative to be a part of a team that cares as much as you do. It taught me that, just like Dr. Tom Pruett did when he established the clinic, you must create the positive change that you desire. As a result, I applied and received a grant from Washington University in St. Louis and the Gephardt Institute with which I will bring the clinic and some of its services to the Sierra Desert in July with the help of Luis and others. I am now, while still closer in age to the teenagers, stuck between the professional volunteers and the youth. Getting to see the way orchard-owners, doctors, students, lawyers, retired persons, and others all come together to give back is breathtaking. Even though I am neither Mexican nor from Guerrero, I felt a strong sense of community. When volunteering at the clinic, you know you are part of something bigger. Moreover, despite the headlines of the news here, I felt very safe for my entire duration in Guerrero. Had I not already heard the news, I would not have had any idea of the violence in the other side of the state. No country much less city is safe; there are always bad neighborhoods. Saying that, I not only never once felt unsafe but always was welcomed and treated with such hospitality and care. I hope that those who have volunteered come back again and again and those who have not give it a try. Take care, Josh

GUERRERO MEDICAL CLINIC May 2010

(Please send me your experiences for inclusion - including pictures. Send no more than 600 words, along with your name, and contact information (in case I have questions) to Robert Yudkin at robert@guerreroclinic.org)

It is unfortunate that the April full clinic was canceled due to a heightened security alert. While Walter felt that the volunteers would be safe, he did the prudent thing and converted the full clinic into a May mini-clinic where he, Dr. Tom and Corky were supposed to go from Houston. My son, Josh, planned to fly in from Dallas while Jose, Josie and Jacob drove the van and trailer across the border.

However, as things sometimes go, the unexpected happened and Walter, Tom and Corky never left Houston due to a last minute transportation issue. That left Josh along with the team driving the van as the sole American volunteers.

Josh will share his story below. The only things that I will add is that he worked long hours in pre-op, came home exhausted, helped many people and is looking forward to going back in August to work with Luis on an outreach program. My wife and I are very proud of Josh

Famous Greek philosopher Heraclitus affirmed, “The only thing constant is change.” With respect to the Guerrero Surgery and Education Center, no clinic is the ever the same—the people we help, the people who volunteer, the problems, the accomplishments, are always different. This past clinic of May 2010 did not break the pattern. As the only non-native Mexican at the clinic, I got to see Mexico for what it really is.   I saw the way in which the entire community of Guerrero, a small puebla of roughly 8,000, worked together to hold a very successful clinic.
            I arrived at the airport to be greeted by the clinic administrator Luis Cabrera, my “papá mexicano”. From there, we began—or I should say I began helping with a project that Luis had been working tirelessly on for months—going around Chihuahua City collecting food, mattresses, blankets, and other supplies from the government of Chihuahua to give to the patients. When we arrived at the clinic later that evening, Chava and Julio helped unload the supplies, we had dinner, and went to bed: We knew we were not going to be getting much sleep for the next couple of days.
            Like my previous two clinics, I was stationed in “pre-op.” There, I, along with Josefina, Norma, Alberto, Karla, Terre, and Doctor Gonzaléz, gowned the patients, cleaned their faces, took blood sugars and pressures, put various drops in their eyes, measured their pupils, determined the power of the lens, explained what pills to take, and so forth. For me, it was a time where I am not only got to be involved indirectly with the surgery process but also a chance to talk to patients. Sometimes it was joking or other times it was calming the anxious patient who had an astronomically high blood pressure. It was a demanding job that usually went from 8am to 8pm. Nnonetheless, it was very rewarding.
            In addition to working “pre-op,” Jacob, Luis, and I woke up early every morning to prepare food. Without veterans like Sandy to lend her knowledge and experience, the food tasted better with each passing day as we figured out what we wish we would have known when we started. Nonetheless, there were eggs, pancakes, sausage, toast, fruit and more every morning.
            Yet, for me, this clinic was a lot less about marveling over the surgeries and much more about getting to know the people and the community and to be amazed by how Guerrero came together. For the first two clinics I was in high school, the same age as many of the local volunteers. The magnitude of the impact the clinic had on my life is ineffable.   It showed me that there are problems and ways to solve them. Moreover, it showed me that to combat such issues successfully, it is imperative to be a part of a team that cares as much as you do.   It taught me that, just like Dr. Tom Pruett did when he established the clinic, you must create the positive change that you desire.   As a result, I applied and received a grant from Washington University in St. Louis and the Gephardt Institute with which I will bring the clinic and some of its services to the Sierra Desert in July with the help of Luis and others.
            I am now, while still closer in age to the teenagers, stuck between the professional volunteers and the youth. Getting to see the way orchard-owners, doctors, students, lawyers, retired persons, and others all come together to give back is breathtaking. Even though I am neither Mexican nor from Guerrero, I felt a strong sense of community. When volunteering at the clinic, you know you are part of something bigger. Moreover, despite the headlines of the news here, I felt very safe for my entire duration in Guerrero. Had I not already heard the news, I would not have had any idea of the violence in the other side of the state. No country much less city is safe; there are always bad neighborhoods. Saying that, I not only never once felt unsafe but always was welcomed and treated with such hospitality and care. I hope that those who have volunteered come back again and again and those who have not give it a try.
            Take care,
Josh