​It is Saturday and I, along with most of the Oregon team, am sitting in my seat on the plane at 34,000 feet.  We had a 4am wake-up call this morning so we could fly back home to our own little corner of the world.  I have missed the last two nights writing to you all, my apologies for that.  The GI bug that reared (pun intended) its ugly head has spread to several more members of the team and my rough estimate is 1/3 or so of our team has the bug and were challenged with the condition to some degree.  All of our Oregon surgeons were on the naughty list and my heartfelt thanks goes out to them for hanging in there and making it happen! 

​Greetings friends!  Wow, what a great day!  After our last couple of really late nights I am so happy to report to you all that every single team member was back in Hotel Rey by 8PM!  So good to take off the scrubs, put our feet up, and talk about our successes of the day and plan for tomorrow!  Surgery on our 20-year-old could not have gone better, the case went perfect and our old friend the guardian angel was on display as the implants impounded for him were exactly the ones he required!  Our guardian angel is great and never lets us down!  Our patient’s parents were so excited and happy for him, it was an amazing display of love and gratitude, the kind of gratitude that fills you with energy no matter how hard you work and how much you pour in!  Here in the DR it is normal procedure for the family to stay at the hospital with the patient and provide their care.  I hope to get to know these folks a bit better before we leave, they are super nice and full of a certain type of grounded humility that is such a refreshing perspective.  More to come as I learn more.

​Choosing healthcare as a career many will say is a calling.  From a very young age we are drawn to vulnerability, chaos and the desire to improve lives through our skill, mind and many times technology.  I have been a nurse practitioner for 20 years and see it as my obligation and passion to stay up on current interventions and bring healing and health to as many people as possible.  Over the past few years both my husband (who is also in healthcare) and I have been introduced to essential oils (EO) and have integrated them into our lives.  I can't think of a single intervention that has had such broad and positive effects as these oils have on our family.  Of course when you discover something great, you want all of your family, friends and patients to share in the benefits.  

​First things first, I got a call a few minutes ago asking if we were ok with the earthquake that happened.  Honestly, none of us were aware that there was an earthquake and we are all good.
 
So in all truthfulness it is actually Wednesday for us here now in the DR.  After a very full day today many of us got back to Hotel Rey tonight after 11PM, after a meal, a couple of el Presidente’s, and a shower it is now 12:30ish AM with a 6AM wake up call.  For all of you who are time zone challenged the DR is 4 hours ahead of Portland.  My apologies for not blogging last night as I also had a similar return time, I was weary and needed some shut eye.  The good news is we are absolutely CRUSHING it!  With the addition of a 5th surgeon this year we opened a 5th room and are doing more cases than ever, so I am delighted to tell you that all of our team has arrived and we are operating (pun intended) at full capacity!  Our surgery count as of tonight is 28 cases performed!  Because of your generosity and our 5th room we are ahead of any previous year and are looking to set a record!