I pull the curtains apart to our creatively constructed corner clinical office to find two North American nurses staring with fixed interest at the bloodless left foot posessing, in all of its glory, one of the largest ulcers I've seen on this side of the Atlantic. The waving skinny arms that first caught my attenntion belonged to a cute old man in his mid-80s, whos blood pressure soared through the roof at a flying 195/120. He wore an old cowboy hat, and spoke in a way that so concealed his lack of teeth, and at the speed of a TICA bus zooming down the PanAmerican highway. I asked him how he hurt his foot. I ducked as his arm barely missed the rim of my mission lazarus hat. With great excitement, expression and enthusiam the old man counted the horrific tale of the barbaric, terrible, little old women that wouldn't leave him be and who maliciously "prodded" his foot with sticks. At the finale of his tale he stared at me waiting for a response, and scrunched his face into a funny little smile. I expressed my deepest sympathies and addressed the importance of keeping his blood pressure down and keeping his foot clean.
As the nurses and Natosha cleaned and wrapped the ulcer, I listened smiling as the man energetically told me both how thankful he was to God for the medical care he was receiving and how cursed the old women should be for hurting his foot. We gave him supplies to clean his foot again a couple of days later and when asked the question, do you have anyone to help you clean your foot again?, he answered, no, "crazy, the call me".
So many things about this old man, his rope strapped sandals, his skinny, bearded smiling face, his enthusiam in story telling, his thankful spirit, it all touched my heart. This lonely man of about 85 years showed more energy than any of the 25 year old men or women that came into the clinic with their entire families alongside them. I watched thoughtfully as the man went on his way to wait patiently in line for his medication. I stared perplexed at this man's happiness and my curiosity dragged me to the pharmacy line. I asked him how he was so energetic and smiling all the time. "It is thanks to the grace of God, He is with me", he replied.
Seth
As the nurses and Natosha cleaned and wrapped the ulcer, I listened smiling as the man energetically told me both how thankful he was to God for the medical care he was receiving and how cursed the old women should be for hurting his foot. We gave him supplies to clean his foot again a couple of days later and when asked the question, do you have anyone to help you clean your foot again?, he answered, no, "crazy, the call me".
So many things about this old man, his rope strapped sandals, his skinny, bearded smiling face, his enthusiam in story telling, his thankful spirit, it all touched my heart. This lonely man of about 85 years showed more energy than any of the 25 year old men or women that came into the clinic with their entire families alongside them. I watched thoughtfully as the man went on his way to wait patiently in line for his medication. I stared perplexed at this man's happiness and my curiosity dragged me to the pharmacy line. I asked him how he was so energetic and smiling all the time. "It is thanks to the grace of God, He is with me", he replied.
Seth
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