saying good bye

Friday afternoon, one of our special needs girls passed away in Hospital Escuela. She had been admitted a couple days before, for aspiration pneumonia. The sad truth of the public hospital, is that she didn’t receive treatment until her second day in the hospital. By that time, it was too late. Please keep Doris, her caregivers, friends and family in your prayers.

A couple months ago, a good friend of mine, an interno, brought his father to the Ranch to receive medical care (he lives in San Marcos de Colon, located on the border of Nicaragua). He has been here on and off this whole year, for GI problems. When he arrived this time, we were finally able to get him into the hospital to do some tests, after which he was diagnosed with cancer, already in the advanced stages. He’s stayed here since then, to receive care from our clinics, as the doctors attempted to get his pain and discomfort under control.

His dying wish was to be able to pass away peacefully in his own home, back in San Marcos. These past couple weeks have been pretty rough on him, and he was commenting on his desires to go home, because he was feeling so badly.

The doctors decided that there wasn’t much else they could do for him here, so we arranged transport from NPH to bring him home. So, Saturday I took a trip to with several great friends of mine… this man and his two sons, and three others…to bring him home. He was so happy to be able to go home to be with his family there, and to be in the comfort of his own home. It was difficult leaving him there, and having to say good bye, knowing that’s the last time I’ll be able to see him. His sons are having difficulties adjusting to his fairly new diagnosis, especially now that he is going to be so far away (a five hour drive from here). They stayed there with him, but shortly will have to return to classes here in Tegucigalpa. How difficult for them to have to leave him there…please keep them all in your prayers as well.