We arose early this morning and started out to Quetzaltenango (Xela) about 7:30. It was a long, slow bus ride. We initially fought rush hour traffic, and discovered just how close two vehicles can actually get without pulling off a rear view mirror.
Our trip went along the Pan American Highway, or Central American One. Once outside of Guatemala City, we were into farming country, with many small plots of farming, each one tilled by hand.
Xela is located in the western hill country of Guatemala, and our trip took us through some beautiful countryside. These small farms used every inch of land, with many plots of planted vegetation along some pretty steep slopes.
We finally arrived in Xela about 12:30, and had a nice lunch of sandwiches provided by the Rotary Club of Quetzaltenango. And then we were off to the hospital to get ready for tomorrow.
We walked to the hospital, which is about 1/2 mile from our hotel. For those of us who are on this trip for the first time, it indeed is a sobering picture to see the facilities. People are camped outside on the steps, probably waiting to be admitted. There is no heat, nor air conditioning in the hospital. It is what I would think a U.S. hospital would look like in the 1920’s.
Tomorrow is a big day, with screening and physical evaluations to be done. We expect to screen between 70 and 90 patients. Some of these young folks are traveling 1 1/2 days for this treatment. Some are coming from Hue Hue. These kids will be evaluated and a surgical schedule will be set up for the week. Catherine Lane