Hailed like gods

The last day of the MedCAP visit before we are done seeing patients or even packing up the people began to shower us with gifts. One thing that was consistent throughout every day of the MedCAPs was how appreciative and thankful the people were. Even when I could do nothing to help a woman’s breast cancer, or was baffled with the old man’s Parkinsonian-like symptoms without any evidence of Parkinson’s disease, or the child with what looked like treacher-collin’s syndrome; even when all I did was give Tylenol for a wife with lower back pain from carrying water, multivitamins and cough syrup for a child with cold symptoms, Aleve for a man with osteoarthritis of the knees, the people were grateful beyond belief. They shook my hand fervently saying thank you with a look of relief on their faces. Some of my patients came back later in the day with gifts to give me: hand-made bags, shell and seed necklaces, and even a model of a traditional trading boat called an “Abotouey,” which is their traditional trading boat previously used to trade throughout PNG (ie fish and shells for sego palms, yams, coconuts, tarro, etc). She seemed to have a bit of a crush on me. I am told that on independence day they parade around with these boats. A few of the volunteers asked for my contact information so that they could write me at home. Some came up with a pen and asked us to sign their t-shirts. Others wanted pictures with us (they did not have a camera, but wanted to be in a picture with us on OUR camera). And one girl shyly approached me as we were packing up and asked me to have her volunteer translator name tag—I gave her my American Flag pin from my shirt and said thank you. Her friends were huddled to the side of the walkway watching the transaction, giggling. We finally got everything packed and exchanged final thank-you’s as we got back in the busses. I sat in the back row looking backwards as the crowd chased after our bus smiling and waving. I can’t help but think that we were being revered higher than our credentials, I mean it sure felt like we were hailed like gods. A warm sensation of accomplishment and satisfaction glows from within. We helped a lot of people, we saw even more, and we showed a small community in the corner of the globe that we care about them, so much that we traveled this far with so many people to make their lives just a little better.


Bon Voyage,
~Nic