Guatemala – Day 1

We arrived in Guatemala today and immediately had an adventure. We quickly filled our 9-passenger van with 6 people, 8 suitcases, 4 carry-ons, 2 wheelchairs and 4 walkers. We don’t really know how it happened…and we laughed when our translator called us “TEAMworks Tuna”.

We went straight from the airport to Mama Carmen’s orphanage, where we were warmly greeted by Mama Carmen. We knew our time was limited today, so the TEAM quickly went to work.

The TEAM really wanted to follow up with two of the kids that received equipment from us last year. We attempted to fit Merlin to a tilt-and-space wheelchair due to seizure activity and difficulty swallowing. However, modifications are still needed for it to fit. We did put her in it, and loved seeing her face light up. We plan on going back on Monday to finish up modifications to her chair.

We also checked on Cesar. He is a bright boy with tremendous potential. Because of his ambitious nature, the TEAM decided to try walking with him today. We gave him new AFOs because he outgrew the ones from last year, and we fit him for a forearm reverse posture walker. He was excited to try it and although he required a lot of assistance, he was able to initiate his first steps today. We plan to make some modifications to the walker and try again on Monday.

We also brought a bath chair for Cesar to be able to use the restroom. Mama Carmen was overjoyed and speechless, and said that changing his diaper is a lot of work. As she tried to thank us, she choked up and said that “her voice was breaking.” It was such a sweet and tender moment.

We also asked Cesar if he could sit by himself, and he said that he couldn’t. So Charity and Kelly found an alternative position to help him sit independently. He loved it!

We saw a new child, Jonathan, that wasn’t there last year and who is undiagnosed. We were pleased to see that Mama Carmen’s orphanage has been proactive in his care. Carol fell in love with his personality and was able to work with him for some time assessing his needs and found him to be very bright and eager to learn. He has severe leg deformities, so Charity is trying to determine the best way to support his lower extremities. The TEAM feels blessed to have met him at the beginning of this journey towards diagnosis and treatment.

Carol was able to work with Alfonso, and developed a basic PECS system for him. He was delighted that he was able to clearly communicate some of his needs and desires. He was also the first one to greet us when we came through the door and even introduced us to their new dog. We all agree his face will burn in our hearts forever.

Carol also followed up with Uri, a delightful 12-year-old girl. She was so quick to be compliant to try new things. Based on observations from last year, she has demonstrated increased spontaneous conversational speech and initiating interactions with people.

The TEAM is so excited to be here. We’ve had lots of laughs, a delicious homemade Guatemalan dinner, and can’t wait to love on more kids tomorrow!

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