Day 9-June 22-Last day of the Clinic

Story of the Day: As I mentioned before, despite being poor, many folks try to wear their best clothes when visiting the clinic. I particularly noticed one lady dressed in a pleated dress. I asked if I could take her picture. She agreed and asked if I could send the photo to her son since she had no phone. With the help of one of the Honduran medical students, we texted the photo to her son.

Today was the last day of the clinic, so I want to talk more about that. The last few days we topped over 1,000 prescriptions, which is why several people told me volunteering in the pharmacy was the most difficult assignment. By the end of each day, I am really dragging.

Two of my favorite people on the trip are Dr. Steve and his wife Velinda. Dr. Steve is a recently retired doctor. Like me, he and Velinda are on the trip for the first time. Steve is easygoing and makes fun of everything in a lighthearted, yet positive way. He is one of my roommates and always has a smile on his face. Velinda is my main partner at the pharmacy. We have had so many laughs, and she has been an absolutely delightful person to work and chat with.

Our primary pharmacist had to cancel at the last minute, so Dr. Kent and his wife Martha stepped in to run the pharmacy. Kent is also one of the doctors who is my roommate. Martha answers hundreds of questions a day from the helpers with absolute patience and knowledge. Kent may be one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. All day long, he handles questions and issues that change at least once every minute. Yet, I never saw him get flustered. He always keeps his cool and always shows kindness and patience.

I saw Kent work with a sick young girl, and his style as a doctor was amazing. Here is my favorite observation about Kent. A group in the U.S. makes pretty cloth bags for the prescriptions. Kent had to sit at a desk and check and approve each prescription. I remember him seeing a prescription for a young girl and saying, “We want to make sure we find a real pretty bag for the little girl.” Despite the chaos around him, he is still looking for ways to be kind. How remarkable.

Kent checks every prescription we amateur pharmacists pull together. He told me about the funniest mistake he encountered. The prescription called for medicine to deal with bad sneezing, but the helper accidentally selected a stool softener. That could have had funny consequences.

The clinic only ran a half-day on Saturday, so we spent the afternoon inventorying the remaining medicine and packing it up for next year. In the evening, the town threw a big dinner for all the U.S. and Honduran volunteers, including the cooks, housekeepers, and other local helpers. I’ve included a little video of the band that performed.Read more