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| La Clinica de la Mariposa: January and February, 2005 La Clinica visited four communities in Costa Rica during January and February, 2005. During the last week of January and the first three weeks of February 2005, three upper level chiropractic students, three DCs and a graduate massage therapist traveled to Costa Rica to provide health care services to four communities with La Clinica de la Mariposa. The communities served included Alajuelita, San Ramon, Los Chiles and Desamparados. As we were in previous clinic visits, we were headquartered in our apartments in Santa Lucia, near Heredia in the Central Valley. This was the dry season so all days were clear and warm with temperatures hovering in the upper 70s during the day and dipping into the low 60s at night. Even Los Chiles, normally very warm to hot, was comfortable with cool evenings along the Rio Frio, the river that runs at the edge of the town. We saw many new patients, but fewer than last time as we had a smaller crew of volunteers and we were visiting familiar communities previously served. We have now covered all communities served by CFCA in Costa Rica. Our reception in the communities as always was very enthusiastic and we experienced much personal gratification in doing our work. The Costa Rican culture is very expressive, and this group whom we serve with health care services is especially demonstrative toward all who help them. The patients who come for help and the promotoras (the local promoters who live in each community and provide the link with residents) who provide administrative services to us, all responded enthusiastically. We started our visit with a week in Alajuelita with our complement of two working chiropractors, Dr. Kirsten Addison of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Dr. Steven Hatt, of the Denver, Colorado, area. Our student complement from Northwestern included Lee Ann Minneart, Tammy Sukup and Katie Cowles. Unfortunately Katie had a tibia fracture and was wearing a walking cast. In the end, this hampered her very little in her daily routine. After a few struggles with the buses and taxis, most all were able to navigate the local transportation system and get from Santa Lucia to Heredia and on to San Jose (and return). We worked Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the days off between to do as we pleased. The van of Julio (who transports students when not transporting us) came promptly at 7:30 each morning. We packed all our tables and other gear and moved onto our destination an hour or more away. We usually set up and started by 9 AM but on some days it was closer to 9:30 AM. We have some new denim curtains (cortinas) that we use to divide our workspace (in private) from the public. This is great improvement from the plastic sheet that we used previously. With CFCA San Jose, we are improving our presentation to the public. During the second week, we left for Los Chiles on Sunday afternoon and worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, returning Thursday morning late after a sightseeing trip on the Rio Frio to see the wildlife. We saw some of our previous patients and were brought up-to-date on their current conditions. On our way to Los Chiles we stopped at the iguana restaurant (where we usually stop and not its real name) to see the many examples of iguanas. Many of these animals were in the trees and it was the mating season there was much activity. It takes about 4-5 hours to get there depending on the traffic. The sky was a bit overcast so the travel was rather cool even though much of the latter portion of the trip is at low altitude. We passed the checkpoint that regulates traffic moving south from Nicaragua, designed to stem the flow of immigrants moving to San Jose. All was much as we remembered it with the slow-flow of activities recalled from our last visit of a year ago. The only difference was the weather that remained rather comfortable throughout the visit, unusual at any season. Our third week took us to Desamparados, one of our original sites southeast of San Jose and the most traffic-burdened of all the routes that we use. This tends to be a difficult trip at the best of times, requiring that we wind our way through San Jose with the rest of the masses including trucks, busses and cars of all descriptions, many of them diesels. There is no pleasant description of this trip, we just have to endure it. The reward comes from the patients and their receptiveness to our treatments. We have provided our services in several places in Desamparados, but this time we were located in a great community center in a new location within the Barrio. This was a great location with a well-constructed and maintained space with a kitchen next door where we all ate our meals. We spent our last week working three consecutive days in San Ramon, where we had worked on previous visits. Our usual community center space was available and so we provided our services there for our three days. All went well and we say many patients and were again joined by our apprentice massage therapist for the three days. Though long, the journey was interesting and not nearly as difficult as the trip to Desamparados. Essentially the ride was nice and we traveled northwest of Heredia into the hills of coffee and sugar country. We saw many and different health conditions, worked hard, and enjoyed our time there. On Friday of this same week we traveled to Calle Blancos (a suburb of San Jose) and CFCA headquarters for a meeting with the administration and staff for a mutual admiration opportunity. We gave glowing reports of their work with us and they lauded us with their gratitude. This was our pay for the effort expended and we enjoyed it all. During our stay we had various crises and stresses in the communities, the most notable of which was the death of a child from leukemia that occurred one morning as we worked. This offered an opportunity for reflection and supporting prayers for the promotoras. Later they told us that this made a great difference as they struggled to get through the day. Long-term Planning for La Clinica de la Mariposa We met with CFCA officials regarding the building program that we mentioned in an earlier news item. We are planning to build a multipurpose structure to serve a CFCA headquarters in Costa Rica, a clinic space for La Clinica, a dormitory for use by ourselves and others who visit Costa Rica and finally as an abused womens’ and childrens’ shelter. CFCA is completing preliminary sketches for the building and looking at possible funding sources. All of us are seeking God’s guidance in this project as well a potential funding for its construction. We are organizing a foundation to provide, maintain and manage wheelchairs for the use of children and adults sponsored by CFCA. Several children who have long term disabilities are in need of upgraded equipment including battery operated wheelchairs to improve their mobility and life quality. We will need support for this project and perhaps those of you reading this report will want to help. Several children were sponsored during this trip and their lives will be changed forever. Many of our patients and their families live in most difficult situations and survive on a small income each month. Our help through sponsorship makes their lives better and we make a contribution toward making the world a better place. If readers wish to help with these projects or sponsor a child, they are directed to www.cfcausa.org. La Clinica will continue to need volunteer doctors and other health care providers. Please consider joining us on our next trip during the first three weeks in October, 2005. We can help you organize housing and can pick you up at the airport. This next trip we will be working four days per week in an area within an hour or so of San Jose. We have standard chiropractic and massage equipment available so DCs and massage professionals only need to bring themselves. Volunteers may also apply for CEU credits through Northwestern Health Sciences University at www.nwhealth.edu We look forward to seeing you in October! |
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