Note from Sister Annie about the Miracle of 2013: Rejoice with Us!!! Pass it On!

February 25, 2013

Hello Friends of Damien House,

Peace and Greetings from Guayaquil!

We have great news for you! I have just signed the papers with the Municipality of Guayaquil allowing the Hansen patients the privilege of calling Damien House their home forever. This is a dream come true for them because they will never have to worry about being asked to leave, nor having their haven closed. The Mayor will sign and seal the papers and in three weeks, we will have a celebration with a liturgy in our chapel rejoicing and remembering all of you in our prayers of thanksgiving for this miracle of 2013!!!!

With this acquirement, comes new responsibilities. By law, we must hire two registered nurses. We will also be offering the evening meal, which is presently being served by the Hospital of Infectious Diseases. To accommodate these changes, we will be hiring one more person in the kitchen, one extra maintenance person, and one person to be in charge of laundry. These positions are currently provided by the hospital next door and will be removed the day we receive the papers.  Damien House will also now be responsible for paying all the electricity and the water bill, which were formerly shared expenses with the hospital next door.

As we face the challenges of this year, we look for your support, now more than ever. In 2012, one hundred and twenty two new cases of Hansen´s have been reported in Ecuador. This is the highest number since I have been in the country for the past 25 years. However, the reality is that there may be many more that go undiagnosed. No one is seeking out these people, they are just appearing in public clinics around the country. It is estimated, that for every person diagnosed, there are 3-5 that go undiagnosed.

One of these 122 people diagnosed last year, is now our newest resident. He is only twenty three years old and is a first year student at the University of Guayaquil studying the arts. In the three weeks that this young man has been with us, he has already become very vocal about this disease. He has taken photos and hopes to soon make a video to help us in our education about Hansen´s and also to help with fundraising in Ecuador to help us survive these tough economic times.

Our home is unlike any other in the country. We have now become a refuge for those who need a temporary shelter to hide away while they react from the disease like our young new patient.  As long as Hansen´s exists, people will need a place where they will feel safe and lovingly cared for while they receive their treatment with dignity and respect.  

Damien House would not be open today, if it were not for your love, prayers, and support. Would you be willing to go one more step for us as a voice for those who still live with the stigma of Hansen´s? Would you send this letter to family, friends, neighbors, your workplace, Book Clubs, civic groups, church (Propagation of Faith Office in Your Dioceses), your local bishop, school, and prayer groups, Lions and Rotary Clubs, Knights of Columbus, Kiwanis? Today people are looking for charities with little to no overhead, Damien House, Inc in Chicago is only a mailing address and generous volunteers offer their time with needed tasks. Every penny of your donation goes straight to Ecuador for the care of patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can make a donation by using the JustGive button on our homepage www.thedamienhouse.org or by mailing it Damien House, c/o Suzanne Belz-President, 4407 North Elston Avenue. Chicago, IL 60630. Also be sure to check out our videos on the Damien House YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/DamienHouse?feature=plcp . We invite you to write us at DamienHouse@gmail.com with other fundraising ideas you may have.

We believe in Miracles and in You! May God Bless You and keep you well.  Know that all of your friends in Guayaquil pray for you everyday.

Much Love,                                                                                                                                                                                                       Sister Annie Credidio, BVM

Its Beginning to Look alot like Christmas..

Ester (Left), Teresita (Right-Standing) and Leonor 
(Righ-Sitting) Sort through the Damien House 
Christmas Decorations 

The past two weeks have been a busy time here at Damien House as we enter Advent and prepare for the Christmas season. The last two weeks were spent decorating our hospital home for Christmas. Patients, staff, and volunteers all worked together to transform Damien into a winter wonderland! Almost every door has some sort of wreath, stocking, or other decoration on it. Both the men and women´s section also have a Christmas tree, complete with lights, ornaments, and of course a star on top! Of course we have also decorated the office with our own Small tree and Santa Claus figurine!

Left to Right: Alcedes, UEES Volunteer Alex, and Leon
decorate the Christmas Tree out in the mens patio

Many of the women have also been working for months on various Christmas crafts and cards to give to our visitors and benefactors during this holiday season. The first of the cards and gifts were delivered to our printer here in Guayaquil yesterday and the patients will continue to hand them out to the visitors that come to the foundation this month.  Sonia, one of the patients, has also been working hard to sew Christmas pillows for the staff here at Damien House while The Rostro and UEES volunteers have been busy helping stuff the pillows. Decemeber will be a busy month but a very enjoyable one as we welcome many various groups into our hospital home!

Left to Right: UEES Volunteer Karolina, Jacinto, and UEES Volunteer
Sara hang the garland in the men´s patio

Life´s Little Surprises

           Last Wednesday started out as a pretty normal day of work. I walked around greeting all of the patients in the morning stopping and talking to those who seemed like they wantd to talk or just wanted someone to listen. Then I walked over to greet Manuel (also known as Abuleo as I think he is the oldest resident here). I have a very hard time understanding his Spanish at times and have struggled to understand more than a word or two of what he is saying. This has made it difficult for me to get to know him or feel like I could be good company for him.
            But last week I decided I would just sit with him for awhile and listen to his radio together. Soon one of the nurses came over and asked if I knew how to play Dominoes and I said yes of course (I think knowing how to play Dominoes is almost an required skill for being a Damien House Volunteer since all the men love dominoes so much). But anyways so then we decided to play some Dominoes! So Manuel got out his Dominoes and the three of us started to play. I did not even know that he owned Dominoes, let alone that he could play. Usually he is just sitting in his chair listening to his radio. Honestly I had underestimated him. We ended up playing Dominoes together for probably close to an hour and it was a great experience!
            We might not always be able to share conversations toegther but playing Dominoes is something we can do together and a way we can get to know eachother a little bit. I have found because of the language barrier here, I have had to change the way I form realtionships with the people here in Ecaudor at times. This has been challenging and frustrating at times but has also opened up doors to have many new and different experiences and to chgallenge myslef to find creative ways to relate to people.

Abuleo 

New Video

Check out the New you Tube Video of John F Kennedy Catholic School´s Visit to Damien House

Video was produced by Carrie Leonard.

Enjoy!

Also checkout other Damien House Videos on Our YouTuibe Channel Here

Bingo

Last Thursday was an exciting day at Damien House. We decided to have a Bingo! The new volunteers (Sarah, Alex, and Jimmy) who are study abroad students at the local university in Guayaquil coordinated and set up everything. They sorted through various donations to find prizes for the patients and made sure everything was ready for our Thursday morning Bingo. Everyone gathered in the men´s patio area at 10am and the fun began! Nearly all of the patients participated and it was a huge success. Segundo was the first one to win and he chose a blanket as his prize! All of the patients won at some point and were able to pick from various prizes. Some of them even won twice! The most coveted prizes were Dr. Seuss T-shirts and sweatshirts that the last medical team donated. Blankets and stuffed animals were also popular prizes. All of the patients were delighted with their prizes and enjoyed showing them off to the camera. Everyone also received some Nestea to enjoy while they played and a bag of cereal to enjoy later. The day was a great success and a nice change from the normal routine of the day.

Mercedes and her prize!

Segundo wins the first prize!

UEES Volunteers (Jimmy, Sara, and Alex) and Rostro de Cristo Volunteer Chris pose with Bingo Prizes

New Mural

Lots of changes have been happening at Damien House these days. The women´s kitchen renovation project is complete but unfortunately some old murals got erased in the process.  These new blank walls created a wonderful canvas for Sister Annie´s friend, Lucia, to create a work of art here at Damien. She spent about a week here at Damien house painting a beautiful landscape scene, as well as some flowers, butterflies, and hummingbirds on the various walls in front of the women´s section. Thank you Lucia for your wonderful artwork. We loved having you here and many of the patients loved watching you paint, especially Blanca!

Blana (Left) watches Lucia (Right) Paint

Shout out to Santa Clara University

Last week we had our first group of Rostro de Cristo Retreatents for the year. Twelve undergrad students and one graduate student came to visit from Santa Clara University. Their trip was led by Mike Nettle who was a former volunteer with Rostro de Cristo at Damien House.

On Monday, we talked to the group about Hansen´s disease and then game them a tour and were able to talk with the patients and staff briefly. On Wednesday the group returned and were free to wander around and talk to whoever they wanted to visit with. Luckily their were lots of Spanish Speakers in the group so they were able to divide up and visit lots of different patients! The group got to know many of the people here and heard all kinds of stories ranging from how people came to Damien House, to how patients spend their days, and what holidays are like here at Damien House.  Patients and staff were all happy to see that Mike was back to visit (although some of the older female patients were disappointed to find out that he was no longer single!). The visitors also got a chance to support the patients by buying various crafts that the patients had made so the visitors walked away with beautiful peace birds, bracelets, necklaces, crosses, paintings, and even a new hammock. Before the group left, Mercedes and husband Italo also played the accordion and sang for the group.  It was a beautiful song and got everyone dancing and many of the other patients came over to listen! I am sure the visitors will remember their visit for many years!

Despiderse and Saludarse (Goodbyes and Hellos)

Peace and Greetings from Guayaquil!

This is Katy, one of the new Rostro Volunteers. The month of July and August were a little crazy here at Damien house with the transitions of the Rostro de Cristo Volunteers. Linda and Liz finished up their volunteer year and had to say goodbye to all of the wonderful friends they had met at Damien House throughout the year. As we watched them say their goodbyes, it was clear that this year and the people here had a a wonderful impact on their lives! Damien House welcomed two new volunteers from the Rostro de Cristo Foundation, Cristobal and myself (Katy). I am from the Chicago suburbs and recently graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Operations Management. Cristobal is from Wisconsin and just graduated from Creighton University where he studied biology. Chris is planning to attend medical school after his year in Ecuador so he has been helping out in wound care and with sensory nerve testing for the patients. Meanwhile, I am using my business skills to help manage emails, group schedules, work on grants and help keep the Facebook and Blog pages up to date! Both Chris and I also enjoy hanging out with the patients and getting to know them and playing an occasional game of Dominoes.

-Katy

Old and New Damien House Volunteers Together
From Left to Right: Liz, Cristobal, Katy, Linda

Happy New Year!

As we look forward to a new year, we are reminded of all the blessings and joys that have touched us here at Damien House this year. We remember a wonderful year spent celebrating the lives of our patients; we remember those who have gone to God in 2011; and we remember a year full of miracles including all the hard work and love brought to Ecuador by visiting medical groups, retreatants, and visitors. In a year full of joy and progress, we look forward to what 2012 has in store for us. We plan for major and exciting developments here at the foundation and for the lives and well being of our patients. As we eagerly start in on all these new projects, know that we send you and your our best wishes and happiness in the new year!

Christmas Time at Damien!

In the past month, we here at the Foundation have had the pleasure to receive so many loving and generous groups of visitors that have shared their joy, songs and cheer with the patients and staff at Damien House. Damien House has hosted church groups, young students, musical groups, and even dance troupes all willing to share part of their day and a lot of their life and laughter with the patients. Thank you to all of our wonderful visitors!

Clothing Give Away

Just in time to kick off the holiday season, Damien House held a clothing give away for our patients where they could individually pick their favorite pieces from an assortment of generously donated clothing. Patients came in empty handed and left joyous and with a new wardrobe. Ranging from polos to T-shirts, dress jackets to comfy sweaters, special occasion dresses to night gowns, we at Damien are so grateful for the donations that truly brighten the lives of our patients and staff. Thank you for your continued love and support!

Cece helps Fortunato find the perfect pair of pants!

Gilberto finds a new polo in his favorite color!

Alcides and Marlene have a laugh while looking for pants!

Abel and Jose work together to find just the right shirt!

Halloween 2011!!!!!

Big group picture...smiles all around!!

Halloween this year at Damien was crazy!!!!!! Every patient wore a hat or a mask of some kind and we danced around all over the patio. We shared sugary and salty snacks together- chips and chocolate!!

Sr. Annie, Anita, Lindsay and the EEUS volunteers with Trinidad

Liz and Linsday dancin´all around!

Dr. Thomas Sichi Visits Ecuador

In early October, Damien House received Dr. Tom Sichi, DO. During his two weeks in Ecuador, he shared his skills and abilities in many different forms including: spending time with patients at Damien, making rounds at the Infectious Disease Hospital, worked at a clinic in Duran and visited Hansen´s patients in the campo with us.  Upon his return to the US, Dr. Tom shared with us this article he wrote about his experience.  Dr. Tom traveled through the program, Physicians for Humanity (http://www.physiciansforhumanity.org). Below is Dr. Tom´s article, which he proudly gave us permission to share.

A few issues ago we reported on Physicians for Humanity(PFH), a non-profit group working in Ecuador co-founded by Dr. Nicholas Bower and Patrick Cain, DO one of our second year residents. I decided it would be a great experience to do an international rotation and see first hand what PFH was doing in Ecuador.  The month was split between three main separate clinical settings. 

I worked in an emergency department which specialized in infectious disease on a number of occasions. Like many of our EDs here in the states the facility was run down and overburdened but impressively efficient despite these structural obstacles. The infectious pathology had some similarities to the states with a much higher rate of HIV, a large number of cases of disseminated and extrapulmonary TB as well as Histoplasmosis, Dengue fever and Malaria. I was able to speak with some of the regional authorities in infectious disease/public health about the vector-host control programs. They are currently studying a previously unexplained decrease in Dengue which may possibly be due to a recent Yellow Fever vaccination program inadvertently conferring a significant amount of Dengue prophylaxis. This research may have the potential to lead to a vaccine for Dengue!  The ED physicians working in this hospital have a full year of residency dedicated to ID and are able to see large volumes of patients with very little burden of documentation.

The second part of the clinical experience was a  home stay and working in a local clinic named  Dispensario San Franciso in Duran run by support from PFH. Duran is an outlying region of Guayaquil which houses many families who have moved from the more rural areas of Ecuador as part of the greater global rush towards urbanization. Like the Favelas of Brazil, much of the housing is thrown together on land with no official ownership, there are no addresses and no sewage or running water exists. Water is delivered by tanker truck that simply siphon from the nearest polluted bayou into open barrels for domestic use and unfortunately breeding mosquitoes.  Living in the same neighborhood as the clinic allowed me to get to know many of the residents, diagnose disease and create treatment regimens which were realistic given the local conditions. Had I stayed in a sterile hotel I might not have had the same  knowledge, empathy or rapport. In this population nearly all belly pain and diarrhea was empirically treated with anti-parasitic agents before any other work up was initiated.

The  third part of the clinical experience was working with the local Hansen’s disease providers in various clinical settings. As with many parts of the world, most local physicians are not skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of Hansen’s.  Echoes of Molokai still ring as stigma surrounding the disease lurks as a significant barrier to care.  I had worked with Hansen’s in Tanzania in 2006 and the care in Ecuador greatly surpassed the care provided in rural Africa. The care was separated into a three tiered system mostly managed by Catholic Nuns.  The first tier afforded perhaps my favorite clinical experience of the trip as I spent the day driving to remote cane homes of Hansen’s patients to aid Sister Lus  handing out medication, giving dosing advice and preventing and  tending to wound/skin care issues. It was heart wrenching to see a young woman who had stopped taking the Rifampin due to side effects because the dosing had not been adjusted by weight. My pediatric Tarascon’s never felt so valuable.  The second tier of care located in Guayaquil at the Damien House was an outpatient dispensary for medications and again basic wound care.  The third tier was a long term care facility run by Sister Annie Credidio named The Damien House after the esteemed Father Damien who tended to the quarantined Hansen’s community on the island of Molokai before succumbing to the disease himself. The facility cared for many patients who had been cured but suffered various sequelae or could not return to their home communities due being ostracized. One patient recently celebrated a happy centennial birthday after having been cured in the 1960s. The Damien House has recently had great success with reintegration of some of the long term patients into their home communities, this program both shines a visible light of hope on the patients and makes room for some of new patients identified by Sister Lus’s outreach programs. The care in this facility was multi-faceted and far exceeded many so called skilled nursing facilities here in the states while running on a very limited budget. I would greatly encourage anyone with the means to donate to this facility.

Kingman Regional Medical Center has a great policy allowing residents to do international rotations which simultaneously adds great diversity to the possible learning experiences and allows residents to help more than just the people of Arizona. I looked at many residency programs that tout international emergency medicine curricula but require residents to use limited vacation time to actually travel.  The ability to simultaneously obtain academic credit and draw a salary while being involved in philanthropy is a rare opportunity and real asset to the KRMC residency. The trip provided profound inspiration and clinical experiences invaluable to any developing physician.   I would especially like to thank the program director Dr.Micheal Sheehy, director of medical education Dr. Kelli Ward, Doreen Williams and Sheri Glass for their tremendously tenacious administrative support in making this trip a reality.

The hands of a hard working Hansen´s patient in the campo.

The kitchen of a cane house in the campo.

The telling "mancha" or stain commonly associated with Hansen´s.

The feet of a laboring campesino in the fields.

A recently diagnosed Hansen´s patient shows us his drug regimen.

New Informational Video

Thanks to the volunteers at the Universidad Espiritu Santo (UEES), Damien House has a new informational video. Click on the video above to watch.

Thursdays, Banana Days!

Hard Yakka!

Hij doing some work, for once..

Every month, a truckload of donated bananas are delivered to the Foundation. It´s then our job to unload, move and store them. It usually takes about 3hours and by the end we are all exhausted. The first day we finished up, Hij, Simon and I thought that there´d be enough bananas for about a month, when we returned the following Monday about half of them had been used in meals! It´s just a small example of how the foundation runs and relies on donations and how important they are to it´s existence. The other great thing about banana day is that sometimes Brendon makes his famous Banana loaf!!
Shamus (aka Chamu chamu)

Feliz Compleaños Trinidad!

Hi everyone! 

We are in the middle of the raining season here in Guayaquil and it rains almost every single day. 

It was Trinidad's 85 years old birthday on the 27th on January.
So we had a small celebration for her and had a great time together!

Happy Birthday Trinidad and let's wish all the best to her!

Cheers,

 

My 1st post

I am Hijiri from Japan and I am currently studying at UEES as an exchange student from Australia.


Firstly, a big thank-you to Damien House for welcoming us and providing us with such a great opportunity to work here.

To be honest , before working here, I was not really aware of the situation of Hansen's Disease here in Ecuador, as in my country only one or two people are infected by the disease annually, therefore it's almost a forgotten disease in Japan. So I was actually very surprised by the fact that there are still a number of people suffering from the disease in Ecuador. 

At the beginning, I had some difficulties to have conversations with the patients due to my poor Spanish skills, however, now I believe that our conversations are slightly getting smoother than before, each time we talk. Also, I started getting to know about the circumstances of the disease and the patients. 

Here at Damien House, although, the patients receive an excellent support from the workers and the center, they still need more support financially and in removing the stigma from the disease. 

Actually, we only have a few more weeks to work here, so we are going to do our best supporting the place. 

Thanks,

Hijiri

New Australian and Japanese Volenteers at Damien House

2011 has rolled around and Damien House has welcomed 3 volunteers, Simon, Shamus and Hijiri all on student exchange from Australian universities have been introduced to the patients of Damien House and are working alongside staff to ensure the smooth running of the center.