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Northfield, Illinois
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Dear LAMP Supporter,
Welcome to the first newsletter of Latin American Medical Providers (LAMP). We have worked hard to pull together some great information about the organization, its work and some of our people. We hope you enjoy this newsletter. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for stories, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for your continued support! Latin American Medical Providers  |
| LAMP TEAM TREATS THOUSANDS IN JALAPA | | 2010 February Trip to Guatemala
In just six short days, the 2010 Latin American Medical Providers (LAMP) team treated more than 2,500 Guatemalan patients who otherwise would have little or no access to health care. The 2010 LAMP team arrived in Jalapa, Guatemala on Feb. 13, 2010, almost twelve years to the day that the first team of LAMP volunteers arrived there. Like earlier teams, the 2010 medical mission included approximately seventy-five doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians, interpreters and other volunteers.
During their six-day stay, the medical professionals of the LAMP team set up a clinic at the Nicolasa Cruz National Hospital to serve some of the poorest residents of the country. Each morning, hundreds of Guatemalan men, women and children lined up at the hospital doors hoping to receive a number to see one of the providers.
LAMP doctors and nurse practitioners triaged and diagnosed a wide range of problems. Some were simple to relieve, such as providing vitamins to malnourished people and aspirin to those in pain. Other problems required more extensive treatment, additional medications or even surgery. LAMP surgeons operated on nearly 100 people during the week, performing a variety of procedures including hernia operations, gallbladder removals and hysterectomies. Surgical patients recovered in a post-op ward staffed twenty-four hours a day by approximately twenty LAMP nurses. Two LAMP dentists also did restorative procedures, inlays and performed surgeries. As in prior years, the LAMP team reached out beyond the hospital walls. Each day, two teams of doctors, nurses, interpreters, ultrasound technicians and others traveled to remote villages, or "aldeas", to care for people unable to journey to Jalapa. Pharmacists also joined these day trips to provide medications.
Drs. Matt Connolly and Alby Antoo, the Medical Directors for the 2010 trip, praised the hard work, dedication and camaraderie of all of the team members. Dr. Barbara Spaniak, the founder of LAMP, also was impressed by the hard work of the Medical Directors, the Section Chiefs and all of the other team members, stating that the 2010 trip was the most organized trip that LAMP had ever experienced. Most importantly, the 2010 team was able to see and assist many of the poorest residents of Guatemala, making a difference in the lives of thousands - a goal that the leadership of LAMP hopes to achieve again for many years to come.
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$7,000 IN DONATIONS FROM CROSS CONTINENT TRIP
| |  Don Snow's Odyssey to Jalapa
I want to tell a story about a
man and his truck.
But first, I have to paint a picture of a woman at her computer, in her office in Illiniois. Her name is Barbara Spaniak and she works every single day for Latin American Medical Providers, or LAMP for short. Barb founded what would become LAMP 20 years ago. This charity can be a literal lifeline for the residents of Jalapa, Guatemala. Barb coordinates a medical mission every February so that a team of doctors, nurses and general volunteers can help the sick and poor residents of Jalapa. These people are just trying to survive. They are trying to succeed. They are working hard. But what they don't have, is access to health care in a way that most Americans take for granted.
In Iowa, a hernia operation is an everyday surgery. In Florida, a rotten tooth can be pulled before it becomes painful. In Jalapa, these health problems are often not dealt with until the medical team pulls into town and sets up in the local hospital. Barb knows this, recognizes it and lives her life making this charity succeed.
Then one day, she received a call from a man who had a truck. This man from California explained that he spent many years in Jalapa and really felt an affinity for the people who lived there. He wanted to do something for them. He wanted to make a difference. So, he and his wife Ruth picked up and drove to Guatemala in their Toyota truck. He made his friends aware of his travels. He searched for a charity that benefits the residents of Jalapa. He asked that his friends and colleagues donate funds to LAMP. He started a blog and posted pictures. And then he drove. And he drove and he drove.
This man, Don Snow, made a difference by choosing to. He created an energy and excitement and an awareness for people who desperately need help. The truck made it to an orphanage in Jalapa. And in the process, over $7,000 was raised for those in need by Don's friends and family.
So, he did what so many of us are so envious of... he followed his heart. He contributed. He made a difference. He has affected more people and touched more people than he can ever know. Why? Why did he do this? Because the world is changing. People are making an individual difference. They know they must do their share and their part to make this world a better place. He has touched many of us, and for that, we are all thankful.
Thank you,
Kati Spaniak, President
Latin American Medical Providers
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TRIP MEMBER PROFILE
| | Meet Tresa Zielinski, RN, CPNP
 This February, Tresa Zielinski completed her tenth medical mission to Jalapa, Guatemala, as a nurse practitioner with Latin American Medical Providers. She joined LAMP in 1999 and has returned nearly every year since in spite of the long hours and uncomfortable accommodations she experience on that first trip. "The first year I went I cried every night--we were staying in the sports complex back then, which would make anyone cry."
But the Guatemalan people that she met touched her heart. "You just want to do more for these people. Even when you can't do as much as you want for them, the people just keep saying thank you. My parents always taught us, if you have more than you need, it should be shared. Nursing is something that I can do to share."
Tresa earned her undergraduate degree from Villanova University and her master's degree from Rush University, becoming a nurse practitioner in 1998 and is currently getting her Doctorate of Nursing Practice. In her career she has worked at hospitals in Philadelphia and Chicago, including Lutheran General Hospital. In 2000, Tresa joined the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Team at Children's Memorial Hospital and has worked there ever since.
For the past three years, Tresa has organized and managed the recovery department of LAMP's medical mission as a Co-Director of Post-Op Services. In 2010, Tresa, together with Dr. Sue Nedza, organized a department of almost twenty nurses in the recovery area of the medical mission. It is a role that she finds extremely rewarding. "The trip to Jalapa is very grounding. It makes you appreciate what we have back home. It is so wild to me to think about how much we have at home compared to what they have. There is no ICU in Jalapa. When you go there, you realize how a large part of the rest of the world lives. Anyone who works in medicine should have to do some work in a third world country to see how other people live."
The trip still gets to her some times. The days are still long and hard, and although improved, the accommodations in Jalapa can sometimes wear on a team member. But Tresa plans to return to Jalapa in 2011. "The first several days are long and hard. Wednesday is the hardest. At that point it is sheer exhaustion. Thursday you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and Friday you can't believe it's over. By Saturday, you are saying to yourself 'I'm ready to come back next year,' because you've already forgotten about Wednesday." |
DIRECTOR PROFILE
| | Meet Jane Dillon, MD FACS
Jane Dillon joined the Board of Directors of LAMP in December, 2009 after many years of seeing her husband Bruce, a surgeon, make the annual trip to Guatemala.
But Jane was active in the medical field long before becoming a director of LAMP. After attending Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she attended medical school and performed her residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago to become an Otolaryngologist (Head and Neck Surgeon). Today she is in private medical practice in Hinsdale, Illinois, and additionally does some administrative work as President of the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Physician Hospital Organization and as Medical Director of the Midwest Center for Day Surgery. Jane made her first trip to Jalapa in February, 2010 to observe the work of the LAMP team first hand. She was even called into service during the trip - seeing patients! Jane left Jalapa extremely impressed with the team's performance during their time there, "The work and the conditions under which that work was performed was pretty much what I had expected. What surprised me was the incredible way everyone came together to accomplish that work."
Jane has four children, all of whom have been to Jalapa, and she enjoys gardening in her free time
As for the future, Jane sees a variety of possibilities for LAMP, "Certainly to continue the yearly trip but perhaps organize more trips as time and funding allows. We'll see - I'm just starting out as a board member, and I think I have more learning and listening to do from those who have contributed so much over so many years to this fine organization."
LAMP is proud and happy to have Jane as a member of its Board of Directors. |
FUNDRAISER IS FRIDAY MAY 14, 2010
| | CARNIVALE RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO
LAMP will be holding its first spring fundraising event on Friday, May 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Carnivale Restaurant (702 W. Fulton St., Chicago, IL).
Carnivale is an exciting and critically acclaimed restaurant that features a mix of Latin American and South American cuisines. Appetizers and other light fare will be served at the event. There will be a selection of wines, beers and sangria included with the purchase of a ticket.
The evening's agenda will include auction items and a raffle. The event will also feature current and past team members and information about the annual mission to Jalapa, Guatemala.
Ticket proceeds and funds raised will go to the purchase of a new ultrasound machine for use in LAMP's future trips and to help the poor of Guatemala. The ticket cost for the event is $100 per person in advance ($115 at the door).
To register in advance, click here and go to the web site
or just meet us at the door. See you Friday!
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DONATE TO LAMP
| | We Accept Donations Online
Donations to Latin American Medical Providers can be made by clicking here http://www.lampcharity.org/donate.html
Or, you may send a check to
LAMP, 578 Sunset Ridge Road, Northfield, IL 60093.
Without support such as yours, LAMP would be unable to care for the medical needs of the poor of Guatemala. Thank you.
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Latin American Medical Providers, Inc. (LAMP) is a
not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the living
conditions and health care opportunities of people in under-served areas of Latin America.
Twenty years ago, a small group of medical professionals
organized a trip to Guatemala to provide medical care to
indigenous people. Over the years the group grew (under
various names) to more than triple its original size.
In 2001 the group incorporated under the name LAMP. For the past twelve years, LAMP's main effort has been an annual medical mission to Jalapa, Guatemala. LAMP's volunteer team of medical professionals provides free medical, surgical, and
dental care for one week. |
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