Along with much of the world, we have been put under “Shelter In Place” restrictions since March 17th, 2020. Today is Day 20 of the lockdown for us in Cuenca, and the current projection is for this to continue through April 30th. Ecuador has taken this very seriously, and has put the entire country under […]
20/20 (and 19/20)
We are both now legal Ecuadorian drivers — we both received our driver’s licences today! The process here is almost silly in the number of steps required, but we completed the last of the hoops today and walked out with our licenses. We can now rent and drive cars within Ecuador. (The International Driver’s License […]
20 Years of Mobile Surgery
Today and for the next two days, we are with CinterAndes — a mobile surgery team that travels around Ecuador performing free surgery for those unable to pay for such needs. They obtained their surgery truck (shown above) 20 years ago today. It is amazing how much they can accomplish in such a small space. […]
Human Pin Cushion
Image credit https://vimeo.com/71511269 I have been an engineer my entire adult life, pretty much only believing in medicine that has undergone rigorous validation, and trusting only doctors that have had formal Western medical training. Six months ago I broke my ankle in three places and had a whole bunch of metal put in my foot […]
Frient
It is sometimes frustrating when I speak “perfect Spanish” and the other person looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head. I know I said it right… didn’t I? Well, today I had a little lesson on what it probably sounds like to the native speaker I am trying to communicate with. During parts […]
Medical Care in Cuenca
Two physical therapists that are helping me walk again I had not originally expected to have such an immediate interaction with the medical care capabilities of Cuenca. After breaking my ankle the day before being scheduled to fly here, I found myself needing their care immediately upon arriving. We had heard several stories about how […]
Helen Johnson, R.I.P.
My mother, Helen Johnson, passed away last night in her sleep. After battling colon cancer for the past year, she passed last night, at the age of 87. In May, the doctors told us she would likely live another one or two years. In late October, just after we arrived in Ecuador, she was […]
No More Crutches!
My GP (General Practitioner doctor) told me 3 weeks ago to contact him today to get a referral to a traumatologist (what they call orthopedic doctor in Ecuador). I jumped the gun and sent him a text message last night, saying I wanted to be at the top of his queue. To my surprise, I […]
Blind Success!
In January 2012, I was told that I have cataracts forming in both eyes. They were not bad enough to get insurance to pay for LASIC, but might be so in a year or two. Come back in a year and I might get LASIC in both eyes pretty cheaply. I have considered, and then […]