A Little Bit of Hope
Beau Bailey, MD
“N
o sé si la instrucción puede salvarnos, pero no sé de nada mejor.”
-Jorge Luis Borges
I recently found myself in a small public health clinic in the outskirts of Managua,
Nicaragua. As I sat in the small laboratory I
was using for an exam room, I craved some
air conditioning given the heat and humidity
outside and the poor airflow in the compact room. I prepped for
the afternoon clinic and patiently waited for the rush of families
who would come for their annual health maintenance visit as part
of the Pathway to Change program.
The exam room door opened and a mother entered with her
four children. I couldn’t help but notice the boy who stood out
with neatly combed hair and clean and pressed clothes. His mother
directed him to the exam chair while the rest
of the children patiently waited at her side.
Through the course of the interview and
exam, it became apparent this mother was
very devoted to her children and assuredly
loved them all equally, but on that day her
focus was clearly on the 12-year-old boy who
stood out just a bit from the rest. This experience repeated itself several times throughout
the afternoon as we provided health care to
the program participants and their families.
Being intrigued by these experiences, and
desiring more understanding, I discussed
my interaction with this 12-year-old boy
with some of the providers who annually
attend the medical mission trip. The answer
I received from each provider was the same:
in that child the family finds hope.
I am very grateful for my recent opportunity to participate in an immersion trip to
Nicaragua with Hand in Hand ministries
in support of their Pathway to Change program. This opportunity was made possible by the support of the
Greater Louisville Medical Society who generously funded Dr. Brandon Watson and me, as combined internal medicine and pediatric
residents, to assist in the medical care of the students and families
in the program. The Pathway to Change program takes promising
students who live in extreme poverty out of the inadequate public
education system, and provides them with all the necessary tools
to succeed in high quality middle-class schools. They’re provided
nutrition, uniforms, homework assistance, and transportation.
They’re supported throughout primary and secondary education
and potentially through their university studies as well. The program
provides a truly life-changing experience for the children involved,
providing them the opportunity for education and future employment they certainly wouldn’t have otherwise had. The outcome is
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
opportunity and hope for an individual, which becomes the hope
and support of an entire family.
The opening statement of the description of the Pathway to
Change program states, “Hand in Hand believes that education is
the single most powerful weapon against poverty.” Jorge Luis Borges,
the Argentinean writer, essayist, and poet, once said, “I don’t know
if education can save us, but I don’t know of anything better.” I echo
both of these sentiments. It would be easy to argue for education as
part of the solution to the majority of societal issues in our country
today including poverty, violence, and social inequality. Even in a
country with ample opportunity we undervalue the impact education has on our future. This is evidenced by low teacher salaries,
college matriculation rates, and daunting student loan debt. We
even debate whether we should pay college athletes for their services in additional to providing their education. My experience in
Nicaragua reinforced the hope that can come through educational
opportunity. These families see education as
a cornerstone to financial stability and even
survival. I appreciated the grateful nature of
the individuals and families we worked with
in Nicaragua. Their gratitude demonstrated
the value they place on the opportunity to
learn.
As I grew up, my mother would often
reiterate my responsibility to help others by
reminding me, “Where much is given much
is expected.” I often get so overwhelmed with
a busy schedule and increasing financial
responsibilities that I easily overlook the
duty I feel to provide for those less fortunate than I am. My experience in Nicaragua
reminded me how good life is in Louisville,
Kentucky and how insignificant my worries
are when compared to those who struggle
daily to provide the basic necessities of life.
I compare the somewhat inconsequential
things we get frustrated with to the neonatal
intensive care unit we visited in Nicaragua, that lacks the re-sources
to perform bacterial cultures to guide care of the neonates. I also
saw first-hand how the aid provided through donations to Hand
in Hand ministries changes the lives of families in the Pathway to
Change program, as well as the patients in the hospitals where we
donated a significant amount of medical supp Y\ˈx