2006 Day Five: Surgery

The second and final day in Vuelta Grande and the dental clinic jumped into full swing. Down the hill the medical clinic was relocated out of the school's classroom as class was back in session; the clinic moved into an adjoining room that was smaller but did have an exam table.

A line of patients sat at the door but Dr. Jan Paquette focused her attention on 10-year-old Guendi (pronounced "Wendy") who'd returned first thing in the morning for an operation to sever the ligand running the length of her tongue and anchoring it to her lower jaw.

Before heading up to Vuelta Grande that morning Dr. Jan and Dr. Bob MacIlveen, who would perform the surgery on Guendi, had mapped out the procedure they would use. They would start by sewing along the top and bottom of the ligand, and then cut it. This would, they expected, minimize the bleeding.

In the makeshift clinic Dr. Jan administered Benadryl to Guendi just before 10 a.m., to make her drowsy. Shortly thereafter it was determined that the dental clinic didn't have the right size suture for the surgery; Leroy Benham and Flor Caniz, a member of the Antigua Rotary who was helping translate for the dental team, jumped in the car and off to Antigua in search of a more appropriate suture.

Their errand took them to three different medical clinics or supply stores and delayed the surgery nearly an hour. Finally they reappeared, successful; Guendi, wrapped in a white sheet, was carried into the dental clinic and settled in.

"It's so small," Dr. Bob said of Guendi's mouth during his final pre-op exam. "I'm really hesitant."

Nevertheless he and Dr. Jan pushed forward, with Paula Benham assisting.

Her mouth numbed by a local anesthetic similar to Novocaine, Guendi sat wide awake for the whole procedure. The occasional tear slid down her cheek, but it wasn't until the suturing phase neared its second hour that she started to cry out.

Five minutes later Dr. Bob started to cut the ligand, and five minutes after that the doctors sat back, the procedure finished.

"I think it went well," Dr. Bob said simply.

Guendi sat quietly in the chair for nearly another hour, resting. She sifted thoughtfully through the goodie bag she received -- every patient in the clinic got a goodie bag of some sort -- and took in her surroundings with big eyes.

By the time an hour went by Guendi was already demonstrating increased mobility of her tongue. It will take time, perhaps therapy, for her speech to improve, the doctors noted, but for now things were already looking better.

Guendi and her mother were escorted home in the rental car that afternoon, as their home was in a village a 45-minute walk away.

Shortly thereafter the dental and medical clinics began their shut down.

That evening the team went to the home of Antigua Rotarian Vincent (Vince) DeGarlais for cocktails. Vince is an American who went to Antigua two years ago to study Spanish; a year later he packed up his Jeep and left his Denver home with the intent of driving throughout Central America for 15 months. He arrived in Antigua and has never left.

"I work with Rotary as much as possible because I see Rotary doing good things, and I get to work with Guatemalans to help Guatemala," Vince said of his adopted club.

His house, which blurs the lines between inside and outside, seems a stark contrast to the homes and schoolhouses the American's have visited throughout the week.

Here the Antigua Rotary takes the opportunity to welcome and thank the American's for their work, presenting each team member with a certificate.