[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/honduras1.jpg” caption=”Jonathan Yau examines a patient at a non-profit walk-in clinic in a small town in Honduras.”]For third-year biochemistry students Jonathan Yau and Justyna Troczynska, volunteering has always been part of their life. They have volunteered in hospitals, Yau at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton and Troczynska in Trillium Health Center in Mississauga. They also belong to numerous student clubs at McMaster. This year however, they wanted to do something more and were ready for the challenge of bridging the gap between two diverse cultures and a foreign language.

Through the support of local communities and churches, the students, who specialize in biotechnology and genetic engineering, raised a large portion of funding for their trip throughout the months of May and June. They traveled to Honduras through Mountain Movers Mission International (MMMI) from May 22 to June 20.

In their own words, Troczynska and Yau recount their experiences in Honduras, and the hope instilled in them as they plan for their own lives as doctors:

“Honduras is one of the poorest and least developed nations in Central America, having suffered the destruction of Hurricane Mitch. As a result, MMMI has established a non-profit walk-in clinic in the small town of Danli, El Paraiso. There, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday, patients line up to be treated for a cost equivalent of $3. Saturdays and Mondays see the largest influx of patients; with an average of 45. With two doctors on staff and the rest of the team comprised of volunteer nurses, medical students and pre-meds, the wait time for patients can be two to three hours. We partnered up with a native Honduran doctor, Dr. Juan Donaldo Sagastume. With broken Spanish, we both took patient histories and waited for Dr. Sagastume to examine the patient. The ailment was remarkably easy to discern for each patient mimed more what hurt than voiced it. All you had to do was watch. Eventually, we each saw our own patients, conducted histories, and examinations, confirming medical treatment with Dr. Sagastume and preparing the medicine in the pharmacy.

“Our work in Honduras gave us a powerful outlook on health and medicine in a third world nation, which strived to survive in the 21st century. We saw the world of malnutrition, dengue fever, untreated ulcers, infectious parasites and amoebas, as well as conditions familiar to western society such as diabetes, hypertension, and influenza. The clinic was at the forefront of treating these conditions, and it was here that we learned the basic skills of the medical trade such as injections, taking blood pressure, taking medical histories, performing minor surgeries, and ear irrigations. However, no amount of training could prepare us for certain cases:

“A young, pregnant woman arrived at the clinic with her husband and several healthy children. She seemed almost ghostlike with her long slender arms and legs with little sign of muscle mass. Before seeing the doctor, her weight was measured to check whether the fetus was growing. The young woman stepped onto the scale and immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room; her weight was a disturbing 88lbs. She was found to be anorexic and six months pregnant, and was told, 'Without hospitalization the unborn child will die.' Nothing could be done for her at the clinic. The local hospital is an option only for those ready to die. Infested with dogs, trash, and flies, the hospital is notorious for hefty bills and corruption. She left the clinic never to return.

“Three evenings a week, we taught adult English classes, and on weekends, volunteers had a chance to become involved with a local youth group. We also had the unique experience of carrying out a food drive to locals that lived in the town dump, and of monitoring the health of a 95-year old woman who couldn't come to the clinic.

“Our experience proved to be invaluable; it taught us the resiliency of humanity, it gave us a first hand view of the desperate need for doctors and medicine in a third world nation and it taught us appreciation for the resources we have at home. Hondurans have taught us to appreciate life despite sickness and a lack of resources. They have instilled hope; no matter how poor or sick one is, if you have hope, life couldnt be better.

Next summer, we hope to volunteer abroad in Ghana, Africa.”