|
 |
 |
 |
News and Stories
Dr. Diane Fabrizius Shares her Philippines Mission Story Three weeks ago today I returned from a medical mission to the Philippines. I was part of a mission team of 35 volunteers sent by the Diocese of Joliet’s Partnership in Mission to serve the people of our partner diocese there-- the diocese of Borongan. The city of Borongan is located on the island of Samar. To arrive there, we first flew to Manila and then another hour on a domestic flight and finally on the road in vans for 4 hours. It was 40 plus hours of travel starting at my door in Elmhurst to the center of Borongan. The goal of the mission is to serve the poorest of the poor. And it’s not difficult to find people who fit this description in Easter Samar-- one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. The people there live day-to-day. They hope for fish to be caught or for a good crop of rice or coconuts to feed their family and if possible some extra to sell. Typhoons often hit this area and destroy their homes. If they are sick or in pain, they have no medications to take and they have no clinic to go to. If they are gravely ill, they will pawn all they have to come to the provincial hospital in the capital Borongan. The provincial hospital is filled with sick people lying on a thin mat or cardboard covering the bedsprings. Family members stay to care for them and either sleep in the bed with them or under the bed. It’s hot and humid and un-air-conditioned. When patients come to the hospital, they are given perscriptions for medications and supplies needed for their care. If they can’t afford what is needed, then they just do not receive treatment or surgery. Many lie there hoping for their illness to run its course… and many, whether they are babies or elderly and all ages between, succumb and die. The sick and suffering who lack resources to obtain treatment are the people the mission seeks to help. We come supplied with items they can’t afford such as intravenous fluids, antibiotics and analgesics to relieve pain. We also bring anesthesia medications, surgical instruments and sutures. The mission’s surgical team performed 144 surgeries of all sorts— hysterectomies, hernia repairs and removal of large goiters among others. I was stationed in the outpatient clinic where I saw over 200 patients. Some needed preoperative assessments for medical problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Others came for various ailments. Some had never seen a doctor before. Many had endured worry or pain for months or years because they had no money to access healthcare. Of the many patients I saw in this predicament, I’ll tell you about 3 of them: Pablo, Teresa and Clarissa. Pablo is a 61 year old man who came to the clinic with a rash on his trunk and limbs for a year. He was constantly scratching and couldn’t sleep because of the intense itching. The laundry soap he was using to bathe with was causing his rash. But it was cheaper to buy laundry soap than a bar of bath soap. We gave him a cortisone based lotion for his skin and we told him to return the next day for some bars of bath soap. When he returned the next day and was beaming as he told us he had his first night of good sleep in a year. Teresa is a 42 year old woman who had an infection in both feet. The infection had started 2 months earlier when she was searching for a Christmas tree in the garbage dump. She had tried applying a home remedy of a poultice made from boiling leaves from a tree. When I saw her, the skin on her feet was raw and weeping. We gave her oral medication and a cream to apply to the infection. We hope this gave her relief and healing. Clarissa is a 70 year old woman who came to the clinic with her 23 year old grand-daughter Jennifer. Jennifer spoke English and told us that her grandmother had a growth in her breast they first noticed 3 years earlier. The tumor continued to get bigger. But they had no money for medical care. They prayed and prayed that a medical mission would come to help them. When Jennifer attended Mass at her parish in December, the priest announced the upcoming arrival of our mission team. Jennifer cried tears of joy as she told us God had answered their prayers. Getting to the mission clinic was no small feat. Clarissa, Jennifer and Jennifer’s uncle and grandfather traveled 2 hours by boat and then 6 hours by bus to get to Borongan. And they had to carry Clarissa part of the way because she had fallen in December and fractured her left hip which remained unrepaired and she couldn’t walk. Unfortunately, the breast cancer was advanced and inoperable. The hip fracture was found to be at a site of metastasis and also inoperable. But we were able to give blood transfusions to help her anemia and improve her strength. We also gave dressings for the draining tumor and medications for pain. We were sad we couldn’t do more for her. But once again, her family inspired us with their faith and trust in God. Jennifer wrote these words in a letter to our team: “God knows how I loved my grandmother in Filipino “Lola”, sad to say that her sickness is too late to undergo operation. I accept all of that ‘cuz I know God has its own ways that no one can detect.” What a gift God brought us in this family who draw their strength from the Lord. Our team drew strength for our work every morning at Mass celebrated by Fr. Ernie Norbeck, a diocesan priest who was our team chaplain. Mass was held in the main hallway at the hospital. We attended Mass alongside our patients, some of them holding their IV poles. Mother Teresa tells us why morning Mass was important for her and her order, the Missionary Sisters of Charity, in this quote: “His love in action for us was the Crucifixion. That’s why we begin the day with Mass, with Holy Communion. That gives us the strength and the courage and the joy and the love to touch Him, to love Him, to serve Him. Without Him, we couldn’t do it. With Him, we can do all things.” I am grateful for the strength and courage God gave our mission team to carry out our ministry. I am also grateful for the opportunity the Lord gave us to see Him, love Him and touch Him in the person of the patients like Pablo, Teresa and Clarissa. And I am grateful for the overflowing cup of joy the Lord served us as we served Him in the poor.
|
