American Culture - by Dana Schwab

Another observation I have made is that shirts with logos and things written in English are very popular here.  A few times I have asked my patients if they knew what their shirt sayings meant and they had no idea.  Many times they don´t make sense, but I would translate for them as best I could.  It amazes me that people would wear something on their shirts, advertising on their own body, and not even understand what it means.  If it´s in English though, it´s considered cool.

I grew up in a family that always supported me in whatever I wanted to do.  When I was little I was told that if I worked hard enough, I could do whatever I wanted to do.  I understand now though, that some of what I always thought was hard work, was actually a bit of privilege.  I am privileged because I live in the United States, I am white, I am an only child, and I have a very supportive family.  I´m starting to wonder how much this privilege contributed to my success.  The idea of being privileged because of being an American is new to me because of this Ecuadorian obsession and I wonder how much the privilege is because of the idealization. 

Working with Dr. Aguirre - by Cristina Kline-Quiroz

We worked with Dr. Aquirre in a small clinic in derechos de los pobres.  I really enjoyed working with Dr. Aquirre.  He was incredibly genuine, empathetic, and warm to the parents. 

 He saw several patients, mostly women and young children.  He seemed to recognized all his patients and they all seemed to like him.  In contrast to some of the other doctors we have worked with, he didn’t have an air of condecention  when speaking with the patients.  He met his patients at their level; taking the time to allow them to express all their concerns without dimissing any of them.  Everything was explained clearly and all questions were answered.  He took the time to do a thorough physical.

 I thought that he really cared for his patients’ health and well being.  I also thought that he cared for us  by the way he took the time to explain the history and physical for us and detail what was important and why.

Julio - by Emily Gray

Julio was my host dad. Although I didn’t actually spend a lot of time with him because of his work, I include him in my reflection because I learned some very important things from observing him.  During one of our very first conversations, he told me that although the families of the neighborhood were poor in money they were rich in heart and soul. Derecho de los Pobres really does demonstrate what he said. It just reinforced how true it is in the USA that so many of the richest people are the unhappiest. I also learned from him that you should never take for granted the family that you have.

Ruined - by Matthew Niehaus

It’s been 7 years since as a naive high school junior I traveled to Duran, Ecuador with a group of my classmates and two teachers to live in solidarity with the Ecuadorian people.  A great deal has happened in my life since then; I graduated from high school, moved to the Bronx to attend and graduate from Fordham University, applied and was accepted to medical school, and am now living in Philadelphia where in just a year and a half, will graduate and become a doctor—a prospect that absolutely terrifies me.  Life was easier before my trip, before truly knowing exactly the inequalities and injustices that are present in the world.  That trip, as one of my fellow classmates so astutely said, “ruined” us—it shattered the protective bubble we lived in, where it was all but too easy to get wrapped up in our “first world problems” that in today’s word, would manifest themselves as trying to decide between the Iphone or Droid, Starbucks or Dunkin-Donuts, Pepsi or Coke, BMW or Mercedes, and the list goes on.  In one week though, I will leave all my first world problems behind and return to Ecuador, this time as a somewhat jaded and sometimes confused young medical student.

I have been asked by many people over the past few months many questions about my trip.  The most commonly asked question, and one that I have been thinking a great deal about over the past few weeks, is “what do you hope to get out of this trip?”  First and foremost, I hope this trip reminds me why I chose to become a doctor.   I hope it reminds me of the awesome obligation and the immense responsibility I will have to others, whoever they may be.  To remind me of how blessed I have been, and continue to be.  

In one week I’ll be leaving behind my comfortable city apartment, my cell phone, constant and unrestricted internet access, and my family and friends to go and get ruined again—and I am looking forward to every minute of it.

Observations about the Ecuadorian life - by Ron Benjamin

Trying to see patience

There is an air of familiarity as I become more accustomed to my surroundings. I don´t know what to make of certain practices, however. When waiting for the bus stop, it is best to have a woman get on last because the bus driver doesn´t start moving if a woman is still getting on, otherwise it´s that man for himself. In the bus itself, people bump into others without thinking twice about it. No one gets up for the elderly woman or pregnant mother with children. I think if these are how a desperate people act, or simply survival instincts.

At the leprosy clinic I am fortunate to work with Dr. Martinez who has specialized in the disease. He calls in a patient who not only had Leprosy, but Leprosy Type 2, where red nodules encompass his entire body. His skin is dark, peeling, and he is a mere 95 lbs. The doctor tests his sensation by making him close his eyes and tell him if it´s a sharp or dull pain he is feeling. There is no response. The doctor looks at me and says, he feels nothing in this hands or feet. I think about how the other leprosy patients at least still have the pleasure to laugh from a foot tickle, but this patient seems removed, both from sensation and our current conversation. ¨He doesn´t want to take his medication¨, the doctor finally interrupts the silence. ¨Why not?¨ I ask. ¨It makes his skin darker, and that isn´t a good thing here¨. I´ve read about this. The darker the skin still symbolizes a status of class and though this man is in an isolated Leprosy clinic, these things must still matter to him. ¨He doesn´t care about getting better?¨. The doctor looks at him and then looks at me. Enough has been said.

On the bus back home I am standing in the entrance because the main cavern is simply too overcrowded. I see a woman with her daughter by her side get on the bus. She squeezes in and tries to hold a stable stance but the bus veers and she and her daughter nearly fall into a seated passenger. When I look again, I see a woman has moved over, and a seat has opened up for the mother. I wonder how this can be and see that there are now two mothers with their children on their laps, and understand there must be an unwritten rule between two mothers. I smile at the one who made room by putting her daughter on her lap. Patience is tried here, but it is also rewarded, I think to myself.

PRESS RELEASE

‘Physicians for Humanity’ cultivates medical students by reaching out to the poor.

PCOM Medical Students Gary Zane, Catherine Babbitt-Cook, Kelsey Thrush and Kimberly Marakovits return from Ecuador with a fresh look into what it means to serve others and are paving the way for future volunteers. 

Philadelphia, PA November 2011:  Physicians for Humanity (PFH), a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania, has sent another group of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) first year medical students to Ecuador this past summer.  PFH’s mission is based on living and working with the poor in order to more fully understand their suffering.  It is their belief that volunteers must immerse themselves completely in another culture to truly grasp their plight. 

This approach has been opening the eyes, hearts and minds of PFH volunteers for eight years. 

Prior to 2011, PFH volunteers have spent only a small portion of their time in Ecuador travelling to and from areas of poverty throughout their stay.  This past year, a group of volunteers spent their entire month living with host families in some of the poorest areas in Ecuador.  As a result of this increased involvement, these volunteers’ lives were changed forever and their personal growth is already translating into a life-long journey of service.  Gary Zane of Deptford, NJ graduate of Rutgers University, Catherine Babbitt-Cook of Portland, OR graduate of Ursinus College, Kelsey Thrush of Chambersburg, PA graduate of Juniata College and Kimberly Marakovits of Rocky Hill, CT graduate of Boston College returned from their eye-opening experience in Duran, Ecuador in August.  As second year PCOM medical students, they are leading the way in advocating for our mission and inspiring the next generation of volunteers.  They have begun sharing their lessons of service by leading groups of medical students in engaging with a homeless shelter in Philadelphia.  Current projects:  Our clinic ‘Derechos de los Pobres’ in Duran, Ecuador and the Shelia Dennis House in Philadelphia, PA.  For more information about our mission visit our website at: www.physiciansforhumanity.org.

A Reflection by Gary Zane - MS2

"Beese, Sully, Mike, Soap, and James.  This was my crew growing up.  To this day when I think of my boys, my true boys, this is them.  My younger brothers, Anthony and Michael, that's my heart and soul.  My cousins, Chris and Kevin, are my brothers from another, whose mother has a mother who happens to be the mother of mine.  And little Rose also, the flower.  The people in my life are what gives it meaning.  Like guitar strings that write their own music, each bond that's composed is its own song, and the music created vibrates into eternity.  And all the songs together play through my blood and my bones so that I am forever the singer and the listener to the music that is my being."

As I sat down to write my first reflection before we embarked on the trip to Duran, I came across this poem that I wrote last summer that I called "Yo soy.". It was refreshing. It's easy to get caught up in the daily routine of medical school and relationships, and this reminded me of who I am and why I decided to join Physicians for Humanity in the first place.

A reflection by Gary Zane