Guatemala - Day 3

Dear Evan and Nathan,

     We had a busy day today.  We evaluated and treated 27 patients at the Quigue Ceron Foundation in Esquipulas.  Quique suffered a spinal cord injury several years ago.  He had previously been a motor cross rider.  There was no rehab in his town so he sold his bikes and built a physical therapy clinic in his home.  He and his mother have done a lot of work for their community.  Along with his foundation, they run the rehab center and recently purchased land to build a new facility.  They also just completed and opened an arts center.  The rehab center is staffed by a physical therapist and is well-equipped and well-utilized by the community.  They are very fortunate to have such a place. 

     Quique was really kind.  He had a full line-up of patients scheduled for us.  He bought us lunch and offered coffee and cookies at the end of the day.  It was really neat to get to see what he has accomplished.

     Esquipulas is up high in the mountains.  It was a beautiful drive through the dry mountains to get there.  It was 100 degrees again in Zacapa, so we were happy to be in the mountains where it was only 92 degrees.  Esquipulas is a lovely town known for its basilica, which is a pilgrimage site.  After we finished seeing patients, we visited the basilica.  It was a beautiful building in a lovely setting.

         I hope you had a good day at school and fun at soccer practice.  I love you to the moon.

  Love, Mom

This flier advertised our visit and encouraged people to make an appointment.

Holding clinic.  We saw 27 patients today.

Examining x-rays

This 18 month old has microencephaly from Zika

Coty hard at work

 Acacia performing ankle mobilizations

 The clinic is also Quique's home.  The courtyard was a beautiful garden.  It was very peaceful and truly contributed to the overall mission of promoting health and wellness for individuals with disabilities.

 After we finished, we met outside for our goodbyes.

We were presented with a certificate of appreciation for the University of Puget Sound for our work in Esquipules.  The girl presenting the certificate is a Guatemalan teenager who is part of the Access Program.  The Access Program is run by the State Department through the American Embassy.  Teenagers are taught English and leadership skills.  It started in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was introduced in Columbia and Central America recently.

 El Catedral Basilica de Esuipulas