As a teammate and I entered into the backyard of a grass hut house in the Amazon Jungle of Bolivia, we found the patient lying on her back on top of a tarp. After examination it was found that she had broken her back and could not move her lower extremities. Along with this she felt sharp pain when we touched her feet. We began asking questions through our translator and it was discovered that she had been in a car accident a week prior to our arrival and had not been able to move since. She was in the back of a truck on the same dangerous mountain roads that we had traveled to get to the village when it rolled over. The wood which was in the back of the truck with her had fallen on her and caused major spinal injuries. In the states we would have secured spinal immobilization, put her on a backboard, started an IV, and began a myriad of other medical protocols while transporting her to the nearest trauma center. However this is not the states. There is no cell service here, there are no ambulances, and the nearest hospital equipped to handle this situation is 18 hours away by truck at a cost of 700 bolivianos. Welcome to one of a medics worst nightmares, to find a patient in need of medical care and have no way to give it to them. If found myself with the knowledge of how bad this situation is and the knowledge that I can do nothing about it.
As my teammate and I stood there, we did the only thing we knew we could do and that was pray. We laid hands on her and prayed for healing. It didn’t come. She is still on the tarp without use of her legs. But Why? Is my faith not strong enough? Did I not pray correctly? Does God not care about this woman? None of these. To put it simply it is in His hands, and I have little to do with it except to obey Him and pray for her.
When we left that place I was heartbroken for her and several other patients I was introduced to in similar situations such as strokes, internal bleeding, and uncontrolled diabetes. They were severely sick with no way to get better ecept by a miracle, but I also had a peace. That I had done what the Father had asked me to do, I used every bit of medical knowledge I had and helped as many as I could. Above all, I showed the Fathers love to the sick and the injured in a place with such little medical knowledge that they could not diagnose a stroke or understand the physiology behind it. Ultimately it is in Gods hands, I can only ask His intersection should he provide or not provide it is up to Him and His greater plan.
