11-19-20...a farewell to Lima

Ai-yi-yi...by 9:30 am the line was out the door in our little clinic...60-some women hoping to be seen/examined and/or treated before Las Americanas left their barrio... we ran our bootys off for hours.

At mid day a huge surprise... the midwife in the birthing center upstairs brought down a newly-born baby girl, rushed into my "exam room" (which is actually the OR/c-section room when PINCC is not here.) to suction the baby and clamp the cord and warm her up. Mother and baby doing fine (see photo above).

As we said our good-byes to our colleagues/trainees at Medisol Clinic, they treated us to Pisco Sours...a yuummy drink for which Peru is famous.

Had dinner in the "Latin Quarter"...Comidas tipicas at a jazzy little bistro across from our hotel before 3 of our group headed out to the airport.

Now for a good night's sleep before my 16-hr trek home :-/

Thanks for being here along the way,

Mai

We had a sad, chilling reminder today of why this work is so necessary and important for these women: a 58-yr old woman arrived with her husband...no prior pap screen...seen/examined and found to have invasive cervical cancer, undoubtedly terminal...our Peru Dr. had to break the news to them. They never shed a tear. The weak would not survive here.

This case was fortunately followed by three more women with early treatable lesions biopsied in clinic today...which lifted our spirits to say the least.

We're having a Pizza party tonight to begin our goodbyes as tomorrow is our last day at MediSol clinic..before our team will be heading out Saturday for separate destinations home.

I haven't begun to process all the high and low moments..(more high than low)...but the 14-hours from leaving Sat. am to arriving @ SFO 11pm Sat. will give me time.

Cheers,

Mai

11-17-10

102- yr old patient of MediSol clinic (not our pt.)
Peruvian street seller
love that smile!

Just as our spirits were beginning to flag after a somewhat frustrating day near the end of my 3 weeks in the trenches...our beloved Jefa carol gave us a wonderful surprise: reservations at the famous L'eau Vivre french restaurant (run by a French order of nuns)...in a restored 1824 Spanish Colonial mansion in the heart of Lima near the presidential Palace and Plaza..

The order of Senora Del Carmen (their saint of the poor) The nuns cook and serve in the restaurant and live above it. The proceeds are used to fund a "bazillion" projects for the poor here in Lima.

After being served drinks - a flawless vino tinto- the 8 nuns fanned out around the perimeter of the dining hall and gifted us with a song, 'Ave Maria', the achingly sweet voices rising above us and echoing off the ancient wood rafters 20 ft. above our heads. (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKC8RH0djIs )

Each plate served was met with rave reviews...the poisson, the poulet, the pomme frites., all cooked to perfection...finished with creme brulee, mousse and crepes flambe.

I had to keep pinching myself to be sure I wasn't dreaming ("ok, I am still on a PINCC mission, right?!). It was one of those unforgettable evenings one keeps in the memory box for life. Thanks Carol.

Back to reality at the clinic tomorrow.

xox,

Mai

our sweet staff at clinica MediSol

Barrio Villa Maria Triunfo (where our clinic is)

Another low-key day...another 30-some women/pt's seen and treated and another good training day for the Dr's here...We had all gotten used to a far more intense pace and are grumbling...though with only 3 more days here in Peru, it's good to wind down.

One OB doc told us she had traveled all night by bus from her home to arrive here for our training...and worked all day alongside us. Their gratitude is palpable. I can only imagine her home clinic...One gynecologist for 4,500 fertile-age women...wow. They are so thankful for this one-stop/one-day diagnosis and treatment regimen which PINCC teaches for HPV...as follow-up, quality of lab results and costs are ultimately huge problems for these poorer populations.

Once again the group split up to persue after-work agendas: the Inca Market for tourist shoppiing ...meeting friends for dinner, etc. (and in the case of our Jefas, Carol and Dr. Melissa: more work). Gratefully there is a quiet bistro across from our hotel: "Las Tejas", for cuchinos (shish-kebabs) and cerveza

Abrazos y besos,

Mai

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Medisol clinic

Bundled up in jackets and headed for the outskirts(Barrio Villa Maria Triunfo) at 7 am. We were greeted by a huge sign announcing our presence at their clinic today (see photo). They are a full-service Women's clinic including an on-call 24-7 midwife who lives above the clinic.

Today was a bit "sketchy" as they say...a slower pace than normal though they trickled in at a steady rate till nearly 6 pm. One woman stated she had traveled 2 days from the Amazon to attend our clinic today...that knocked me out.

The good news is that of the 40+ women seen at clinic today, none were high-grade lesions which speaks to how well they are caring for the women in their area after the prior PINCC trainings. Our work is nearly done here. However the trainees hoping to be certified this week in cryo and biopsy need more serious cases to see to become competent.

But tomorrow IS another day, as Scarlett would say.

Cheers,

Mai

Our Hotel, 'Hostel El Patio is a little slice of heaven...(not used to such luxury on a trip but I think I could get used to it)

Today we welcomed Dr. Jennifer Seidel from Denver onto our team. The group split up and went with their own agendas to see and do today.

Lima is a city of contrasts from the very old to the very new buildings and everything in between. The weather is quite like San Francisco in Fall here in Lima...a bit cool but sunny.

******

We are told there is a troublesome petty-crime problem here and to be vigilant on the street...however it seemed o.k. to me. I took a 3-hour walk around the City Center, exploring what there was to see without a twinge....until I made change from $US to Soles from a moneychanger on the street who we were told were trustworthy...he gave me fake coins among my change...oh well.

******If you're looking for a coffeeshop in Lima there is one on Avenida Larco sandwiched in between the McDonald's and the Payless shoe store - it's called Starbucks. Hello Globalization, bye-bye local merchants? Though I did manage to find a local Cafe for some good Peruvian coffee.

******Tomorrow we will be working in 2 clinics on the poorer outskirts of Lima under the auspices of 3 groups: Pathfinders (Dr. Guttierez and Dr. Garcia) 2) Instituto de Salud Popular (INSAP) and 3) Proyecto para Salud Reproductiva (ESAR). This is PINCC's 2nd visit. We are training Dr's and Midwives, some of whom will become trainers and hopefully run a training center in Medisol in the near future.

The work marches on...up at 6:30 am tomorrow for a lite brkfst and the trip to the clinic.

Cheers,

Mai

Greetings from Mira Flores

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Mira Flores Av. Larco, Lima Peru We bid a fond farewell to the Duena of Casa Tazumal and our wonderful cook, Ydalia and spent a last few hours playing "Tourist" before heading to the airport.. Unfortunately our Dr. Nancy Levine heads back to her life in New York today - but another fine Dr. will be joining us for the Peru leg of the trip.. .Arrived after dark and found our hotel...a bit of Luxury here n Miraflores (feels strange to be in the Big City again ) Our Hotel is like something in the French Quarter of New Orleans - very charming. Now for a long rest and a sleep-in tomorrow (Sunday!) Cheers, Mai