As stated by Christine D. Smith, MSN, RNC- NIC

Love is Universal

The love a mother has for her child is universal

We really are not so different after all

Our mission this year was to seize every opportunity to help the children who came to us for medical care and, in so doing, to create new knowledge that will help children throughout Jamaica.  The children we saw taught us an important lesson through the sheer force of their courage what it means to persevere, achieve and inspire against the odds.

The team of 38 medical volunteers includes Pediatricians, Surgeons, Biomedical Engineers, Lab Technicians, Pharmacists, Dietitian-Nutritionist, Pediatric Nephrologists, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Nurse Practitioners and Pediatric Nurses. We were committed to expand the educational horizons of those same communities through a series of conferences, lectures, and hands-on training for the local pediatric providers, nursing, and biomedical engineering staff. Clinics were held at Port Maria, Annotto Bay, Islington and Retreat Health Centers, along with the Windsor Girls Home in the Ocho Rios area.  Week two was spent at Grange Hill, Darliston, Lambs River, Williamsfield Health Centers in the Negril area.  We were excited to provide pediatric medical care for the Couples Resorts children at Couples Tower Isle, Sans Souci, Negril and Swept Away resorts.

All children were given vitamins, provided free medications if needed, free fluoride treatments, a toothbrush along with a toy or book. 

Biomedical Engineer, Travis Knottek, joined the group in Negril and spent a day at the Savannah La Mar hospital to help to identify equipment deficiencies and problems, make repairs if possible, and collaborated with hospital staff. 

Press Conference Moments

During a press conference Monday, September 14, 2009, at the Port Maria Hospital, Grand Worthy President Mike Lagervall, of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in the United States, once again made a monetary contribution to the Issa Trust Foundation. Lagervall handed over a check of US$30,000 to Diane Pollard; vice-president of the Issa Trust Foundation, whose effort to make the mission a reality through the years was highlighted by Glen Lawrence, CEO of Couples Resorts.

We were honored to His Excellency Anthony, Johnson Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States of America spoke at the press conference who commended Lagervall for the donation, said the Fraternal Order of Eagles, stating it is more blessed to give then receive.  “Here’s to friendship between the United States and Jamaica.” Johnson said in his comments.

Stories from the Heart

Christine D. Smith, MSN, RNC- NIC, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia stated, “What I will take with me for years to come about the Negril mission is not a story of one child or one family, it's the story of many. I am an ICU nurse who on most days cares for one patient and one family. In one week in Jamaica, we saw nearly 600 families, the amount it would take me to care for in almost 2 to 3 years at my 'day job. What impressed me was not one family, but all the families.  The mass number of people who came to see us, to get help for their children. It was impressive, inspiring and moving.

A recurring theme I found while triaging patients, was the statement 'we knew you were coming.' I expected a lot of the diagnoses we saw, ringworm, scabies, fever, etc. but was impressed by the amount of asthma in Jamaican children. One mother said to me --he has been having trouble breathing, he hasn't had his medicine in 2 months, we waited because 'we knew you were coming.' I was shocked that an asthmatic was without medication for 2 months and saddened at the thought of it. I know it was not that this mother didn't want the medication for her child, but more likely she couldn't afford it or obtain it, and knew 'we' were coming and they would be able to get the medication. I heard this story several more times and was touched that we were expected, wanted and appreciated for the things we could provide on the mission.

Every once in a while, in the midst of the chaos of the noise-- fans going, babies screaming, a goat crying, kids playing, and in the desperate heat, I would step back and look at the whole scene. My immediate reaction was how crazy and over stimulating it was. I felt sad that these people have so little. It seemed so different from America and what we have they look different, they have different problems, their day to day life is so different. And then I would look at just one person, a mother, and the way she was looking at her child. The look is her eye was one of concern and desperation to help her child. And I realized, love is universal, the love a mother has her child is universal. We really are not so different after all.”

Diane Pollard, Vice President, Issa Trust Foundation stated, “I still lie awake at night with the pictures of the children’s faces that we were unable to help, but if we could have seen some of the children earlier would have been able to make a difference.  I remember the father who brought his child in to see us pleading for us to find the miracle he needed to save his daughter.  At the age of 5 his daughter fell at school, and appeared to have a seizure, but medical doctors were unable to find anything wrong.  Nine months later she fell again with another more serious seizure.  At the age of 10, we first met the family, and again this year the father carried his daughter in for a final plea.  He said he will be haunted by the feeling that because he did not have the money to get the care needed for his child, he failed his daughter.  As I sat in the office, talking to him while waiting to see Dr. Toledo, he told me his story of spending 100% of his time with his beautiful little girl, and his total dedication to his child.  His passion, and determination was so real, and he continued to thank me for taking time to ask questions, since no one has ever spent the time we did.   I left the room saying a prayer for their family, their child and wishing we could have seen her when this happened, because I know we could have made a difference.

Chelsea Zussman, RN from California wrote, “I remembered the family also from last year, and not a lot had seemed to change over the course of the year, except the fact that she seemed a bit thinner and was having a hard time keeping foods down without aspirating. The love and care her family has not changed one bit. I remember thinking that in a way it's a good thing she's so thin because this way her father can easily carry her around, otherwise she would have to be bedridden and could suffer bed sores. This is probably the only time I've seen the positive side of being malnourished. The family was just as grateful as they were last year, even when we couldn't accomplish everything we would have liked with their daughter, such as placing a G-tube so she could be fed.

I also remember thinking that it seemed more adults or young adults just over the age of 18 were asking if we could check them out as well, making me question if seeing a doctor as an adult is just as hard as it seems to be to see a pediatrician in the country?  It's always so hard turning people away...I also had one mother ask if we could give her a book to read...

This year, same as last, it amazed me how well-behaved all the children were! "Yes Miss “and "No Miss" were always their responses, and big smiles spread across their face once they were given a sticker for allowing us to get their temperature and take their blood pressure along with big thank-you. This is not something we happen to see in America all that often…”

Nikki Markovetz, ARNP, University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, stated “Again I thank you for a wonderful trip!!  Everything sticks out in my mind..... I can hardly sleep!  I was seeing a 16 year old at the Windsor Girl's Home and she was telling me the story of why she was living there.  With perfect calm she told of being sexually molested by her father from the age of 5 - 13.  She got up the nerve to report him to the police when he started raping her little sister.  They put him in prison for 2 years and when he got out, he came looking for her and raped her again.  At that point she was placed in the girl's home to keep her safe. Her little sister was placed with an aunt off the island. She stated that she now truly felt safe for the first time in her life.  All the things that we were doing for her physical health were important, but I wished that I could begin to help heal her mind.  My prayers are for her to feel empowered and safe when she must leave the home at age 18.  I saw three separate children that were not getting food every day.  When I asked them about what they ate during the day one child asked "which day?"  In following up with the child and the mother, who was present, I found that about every other day they had no food.  The child reported this in a very matter-of-fact manner and the mother confirmed what he said.  It was then that I wished that instead of toys, I could give the gift of daily nourishment. Vitamins and iron help, but they don't take away hunger pains!  It was hard to go back to Couples that night surrounded by the bounty they provide us.  I wish I could have taken these little kids and their mothers with me.... even if for just one meal.”

Jamie Sklar, RN, BSN, MS, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, wrote “Last year, when we were so unaware of the impact we would make, I thought how can this be duplicated?  Well this year was just as incredible. We saw even more children and their families this year, provided patient education on things like asthma, iron deficiency and allergies, and treated each child with a worm pill. Last year each child received a bag with a small toy in it after taking their worm pill, varying from rubber balls to pencils to books. Once someone in the clinic received a book, we had overwhelming requests from the children and their families for books. This year we held a book drive in our individual hospital units, and with family and friends. We shipped 17 boxes of books, and were fortunate enough to be able to give at least 2 books to every child. The response was overwhelming!! I had one mother tell me that the 6 books her children received were the first books they had ever owned.  Wow, That’s pretty incredible!”

Heidi Weaver RN, BSN, University of Iowa Children’s Hospital writes….”I loved so much my mission trip to Jamaica, loved meeting new friends, making lasting relationships, watching my husband fall in love with a cause, giving children a chance to be healthy, giving them a hug or smile from someone from another country, showing them that someone from the outside loves them, someone different from themselves.  Think what this does for our world peace, one person, and one child at a time.

We came to Jamaica, to give our services as a health clinic, to let these children have access to a doctor, this one time a year, to let them have a chance at a well child visit instead of seeing a doctor when they are really sick.  Although they wait potentially all day to see us, it is still easier access that they would have to see a Jamaican doctor, which he/she could have up to 4000 children in his/her parish.  Jamaica loves their children!  They take great pride in their children.  The children come to us CLEAN, they are many times wearing their darling school uniforms, their clothes are clean, their hands and faces are clean.  The Jamaican parents take great pride also in their children’s education, every child from 3-4 yrs and above all belong to a school. The Jamaican parents’ dream is alive and no different from ours, they know that education is a way of taking our children to a better place, hoping the life of their children will involve less struggle then they themselves have had.

We learned the sense of community is very strong in Jamaica with the incomes being so low many times the mother and father need to both be out in the work force, therefore grandma’s, grandpa’s, aunts, uncles, neighbors are all raising each other’s children.  Many times we would hear “she is my neighbor, her mother is at work so I brought her to the clinic.”    On one incident a teacher brought her whole classroom to the clinic, beautiful to see a teacher care so much about her students.

We learned that when you don’t have a lot, it is difficult to act or be spoiled, these children were kind and respectful, I did not see one incident of ill behavior the whole week, the babies were tolerant, the 4-8 yr. olds were loving to their siblings, patient and respectful to us, no tantrums or misbehavior.  It was a joy to be around these children.

They enjoyed us and we enjoyed them, they love to have their picture taken and believe me, we could not get enough of them. They love to listen to their heartbeats with the stethoscope and their faces light up when they hear their heart beat for the first time.  It is wonderful to see this and to be able to tell them about their big HEART inside their body working hard for them every day!

So we come and give them a health visit, we give them worm pills to kill parasites acquired by bad water, we give them fluoride to prevent cavities, we acquire a blood test to check their iron level to treat the seriousness of anemia. We set up a wonderful equipped pharmacy to fill the prescriptions the doctors have written, and we love every minute of it.  We thank all our donors for the home supplies, for toys, books pencils, pens paper, crayons, markers, and health items etc.  We thank you for the grand quantity of medicines of various types, for all the toothbrushes and toothpaste that was donated.

But what does Jamaica give to us, gifts far more important, they show us the love for their children, they show us their commitment to community, and they show us that you do not have to have a lot of money to raise caring, kind, respectful, giving and grateful children. Until we meet again, our love and thoughts stay with the people of Jamaica.  Thank you Issa Trust Foundation.”

Travis Knottek, Biomedical Engineer, said, “…I got to spend time and to talk with the children. The children of Jamaica made me feel a way that I have never felt back at home. They were all so happy, grateful, and excited to see us and I will never forget the joy we shared. I am still in shock that aside from the medical care all the children wanted was a pre-owned book. Not the latest PS3 game, Nintendo Wii, or a new cell phone, just a book they could call their own to take home and read. It was the simple things that gave them the joy. It was the one to one medical attention and the bag with a toothbrush and book that made them so happy, the things that we take for granted hear in America.  No matter how hot or crowded it got the atmosphere never changed the families just sat and waited patiently and the children amused themselves while talking with friends or waiting beside mom. It was this scene that made me realize just how special our visit is to the families of Jamaica.  I will never forget the families I saw the friends I made or the things I accomplished in just that one week in Jamaica and that is why I hope I am lucky enough to see and make those smiles again.”

In closing, behind all the numbers are the stories, how can we turn our good intentions into positive changes, how to keep preventable diseases from killing people, how to empower and education, how to get the largest number of people behind our efforts.

Our work continues and as we look forward to 2010, we learn from the Ministry the challenges surrounding dental care.  In Jamaica, the ratios of dentists to patients are one to 17,000 - one of the worst in the Caribbean and Latin America! WHO recommends one dentist to every 2,750 citizens.  Jamaica has the worst incidence of periodontal diseases in the world.

We spend our lives with shared values, shared responsibilities and shared benefits.  What should our shared values be? 

Everybody Counts

Everybody Desires A Chance

We All Do Better When We Work Together

Our Commitment To Humanity Matters More

Our missions continue to expand and become more ambitious, but it continues to be possible ONLY because of the tremendous support of our contributors and volunteers.

2009 Brings Unwavering Commitment to “Service above Self”