What motivates you.......

What a fabulous couple of days. So many beautiful spirits. The people of Honduras have been very gracious hosts and very thankful patients. It's very hard to put into words what these trips are like, emotionally, mentally and physically. Every person on the trip is such an integral part of the machine.

We completed 70 joint replacement this trip. The country of Honduras does about 100 a year. Think about that,,,,,, we have replaced nearly as many joints in this one week as the local hospital can do in a year. And it's not due to the talent of the medical system here. There are many capable PT's, RNs and doctors here. I would guess it's the availability of the prosthesis and the cost. This is a very poor country.

Trent and I have been talking with many of the translators about Honduras and specifically San Pedro sula. They have grown up here, lived their lives here, have been educated here. Everybody I have talked to feels safe because they know his to live here. One young woman, a med student, laughed when I asked her about it. She said "oh, I hear in America about all of the mass killings and random shootings. I think it's dangerous there. At least here I know I am safe, because I know where to go and not go."

Sunday, at the end of the day, we had all but 2 cases completed. It was a long day. The Op-Walk Denver organization took every body out for dinner. Steak and lobster. Let me tell you that it was excellent.

Today, we finished the last two cases then packed up the PACU. The doctors then went to an orphanage, and the PT's, and the nurses did a huge amount of work walking patients and discharging them. Our head nurse, Miranda, is amazing at what she does. She is tag teaming with Eileen, the lead PT. They both put in over 17000 steps per day at the hospital. I don't have one of those things that measure steps, but it sounds like a lot. We should be able to wrap up in the morning then head for some r&r. Enjoy the pics.

Oh yeah. Tonight we had a party for the volunteers. Lots of fun and bailando. One of our interpretors, a 18 year old, was super excited when the song from Grease came on. She knew all of the words. Her and her friend were out dancing with all of the Denver people. Isn't that great!

So, to the topic of this post. What motivates you? I want to be a better me. This fills me, and drains me, then fills me again. My wife sent me a quote from Maya Angelou, "if you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded." I am working on succeeding. I care for people in my job, genuinely. This is different, this work connects the dots in a way. At the dinner last night, Jim quoted a Bible verse, that was something like, "for those that much is given, much is expected". If you know me well I am not one to quote from the Bible, but it is a good message.

I hope this reads well, it's after midnight, and we got up early.

Craig, male nurse. Enfermero.