One day after clinic when my parents and Lindsay were here visiting, Wendy came over to the house and said we had an emergency machete case -- this boy, Michael, accidentally cut himself and was bleeding pretty bad. Michael is 12 years old and lives here in Rio Viejo.
Later in the day, after dinner, Wendy came back over and told us there was another emergency machete case! This time it was a guy, Joel, who had been in a fight and his opponent "barely got his arm" -- good thing it didn't get a full swing in! (Joel was born without a left hand.) Lindsay was able to assist Martin in tying on the tourniquet and handing gauze, etc.
Meanwhile I was in the exam room next door where another patient came by -- a 23 year old French Canadian who lives in the area wiped out on his motorcycle at the end of the bridge down the road from the clinic and some people
from the village brought him to our clinic. He was concerned about a possible broken wrist and was a little banged up and disorientated, but he returned last week and seems to be doing fine.
If these patients didn't come to our clinic they would've had to catch a ride down the mountain to La Ceiba which is over an hour away -- that's if they caught the bus (which runs about 5 times a day) or if a pickup was on its way down. What a day!
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