Whoever said “good things come to those who wait” may have been incorrect. I think a more suitable phrase would be “good things come to those who travel with purpose.” This is one of the many things we have already learned during our first few days in Peru, but we’ll get to that later.
Meet the Crew
Amber: Amber is a third year student physical therapist from Hyndman, PA with a passion for the pediatric population. She believes physical therapy can not only aid in healing the body, but also the mind and soul if the right patient-therapist connections are made. She recognizes the importance of physical, mental, and spiritual health, and that is why she longs to share the Love of God with everyone who will listen. She hopes to work in out patient pediatrics after graduation in 2019 and then transition into early intervention once she gains more experience. From this medical mission, Amber would like to learn how to communicate with more than just her words, through the use of tactile cues, body language, and demonstration. She also hopes to learn more ways to be creative and resourceful as a physical therapist so she can use these skills to care for her future patients. Learning a little Spanish along the way is a huge bonus too!
Robbie: Robbie is a third year PT student from Slippery Rock University. He plans to help the geriatric population upon graduation. Robbie understands that treating the physical ailments of a diagnosis can only help so much and it takes an emotional and spiritual connection to treat the whole person. Having a passion for what you do leads to the greatest results and with PT he feels he is delving into a career with that passion. This trip is also about understanding a culture that is the polar opposite of the one we know back home and observing how these people maintain their faith in times that most people will never experience in the United States. Oh... and the driving is much different.
MMI Staff: Throughout the two weeks we will be working with a ton of passionate Peruvians who partner with MMI to treat patients and also share the Gospel with them. We will be spending most of our time with Manuela, a physical therapist from Lima, Peru. She has been practicing PT for seven years and specializes in the pediatric population, although she is incredibly knowledgeable in treating adults and geriatrics as well.
An Overview
The planning of our medical mission trip was filled with hiccups and bumps in the road, but we made it! We are so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to practice physical therapy in a different country with a language barrier that forces us to think in a different way and be creative. Our first week will be spent in Cusco, Peru (after a day and a half of four very long, very crazy flights). The first two days we will be treating the adult population in a rural area where there are high poverty rates and the locals most often cannot afford the proper medical attention. Most of the patients are farmers, workers, or mothers with low back pain or traumatic injuries that lead to their pain. Wednesday we will be taking a break from the clinic, which is set up on the second floor of the local bus station outside the city of Cusco. During our break, we will travel by train to see Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World! We are so excited to see this piece of Peruvian history. Thursday and Friday we will work with Manuela in an orphanage in Cusco, where we will treat children with multiple different deficits and diagnoses. Then we travel back to Arequipa, Peru for our second week when we will work with children with neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. After week two is complete, we will pack up and return to the states with new knowledge, new skills, and a new outlook on life and God’s people.
If you had any part in supporting Amber and Robbie on this trip through donations or prayers, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We could not be having this experience without you!
Until next time,
Amber and Robbie
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