Early start, late arrival, bad roads, pot holes, people, animals, narrow streets, garbage everywhere, and hot and humid. Hello Haiti. We get to the site where we are going to have the clinic, and start to set up. A few glitches, rearranging, reassigning, and we're off. We saw 110 patients in the morning and 110 in the afternoon. 220 total patients seen in about 6 hours. A slow start but thorough and complete. We didn't see anything out of the ordianary: rashes, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, etc. 2 semi emergencies: 1 woman with heat exhaustion and a lethargic child. Both did fine after we cared for them.
The pastor of the church where we were, gave a very touching speech of thanks at the end, which gave all of us a mirror to look at: what we do, and what we are can be seen by others, and yes, by ourselves, as noble and humanitarian...for the week that we are here. The pastor's work is everyday, without rest, without question: caring for the forgotten children. Noble and humanitarian. It made me at least look in the mirror and see who I am, not what I am. A servant to those who came to us, the ill, the suffering, the hungry and the poor, their hands out stretched. I wonder if I will still see that "who" in the mirror when I get home. I can only hope.
In all things give thanks,
David
Our mission is to help The Forgotten Children reach their God-given potential by creating opportunities for spiritual, social, mental and emotional development, by ensuring that their physical well being is optimized. David H. Beyda, MD Medical Director, Medical Mercy
- David H. Beyda, M.D.
- Phoenix, Arizona
- I am a pediatric critical care specialist working at Phoenix Children's Hospital. I was the Medical Director and Division Chief of Pediatric Critical Care for 23 years, and stepped down to become Medical Director for Misson of Mercy.I am responsible for the medical care of 40,000 children that Misson of Mercy cares for in 22 countries. I grew up overseas (Africa, Southeast Asia) from the time I was 7 years old until I went to college. My father was a career US diplomat. I started my third world medical involvement when I was 15 years old working with medical groups in Laos, and learned to fly riding with Air America pilots in Laos and have been a pilot for over 30 years. My first formal medical mission as a doctor was in 1979 when I served as director of pediatrics in a refugee camp on the Thailand-Cambodia boarder (Khao I Dang) at the age of 27 years old, still in my pedicatric residency. My heart is in third world countries caring for the Forgotten Children.