Kukra Hill, Nicaragua June 2015
Written by Jan Lecklikner
The women came to the clinic in Tortuguero on horseback, by panga (boat) in
Kukra Hill. The reality of all season roads does not exist in this part
of Nicaragua. Instead, we have hospitals several hours away by boat.
And time begins to slow to "panga" time. In Tortuguero, we said "of
course" when our exit panga was needed in an emergency for a woman with a
preeclampsia pregnancy. Five of our team members missed their flight
from Bluefields as a result. That is life in Nicaragua. When our panga
broke down between Pearl Lagoon and Kukrahill, people "loaned" us their
panga to get home.
Yesterday, I interviewed a woman who had had a successful LEEP procedure
on the last PINCC visit to Kukra Hill in November. Carol handed me the
interview form and said this woman was saved by PINCC. And, indeed she
was. We may be treating one woman at a time but each woman is a
mother, daughter, neighbor, friend. She is a part of the fabric of her
community and her unnecessary suffering and death from cervical cancer
would rip that fabric for generations. Every trainee becomes a trainer
and the knowledge and skill moves out into these remote and rural
communities to save women's lives.
I am not a doctor or a nurse. But I can wash speculums and make sure
the rooms are stocked and clean. I get to be a thread in the fabric
which keeps us all together. For that, I am grateful to be here. Jan
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