Secret Life of Bees: Lioness Edition

I've loved reading all of the quirky and embarrassing and fabulous stories that other Bees have shared throughout this series.  When I decided to jump on the bandwagon, I had trouble deciding what to write about, and not because I couldn't think of a quirk...I've just kinda been sharing them all along!  I've been totally honest about my Disney obsession, I haven't hidden my Gators or Red Sox fanaticisms, I've even talked about how I wear nothing but JCrew but listen to nothing but reggae!  So, instead of talking about my abnormalities, I thought I'd talk about my normal side.  Let's discuss something I rarely talk about on here: my job.

I'm very passionate about being a physical therapist.  During my final year of school, I had the incredible opportunity to take that passion abroad.  My program sent 10 of us (along with 3 instructors) to Las Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro, a long-term acute care hospital in Antigua, Guatemala.  This hospital not only treats patients with acute illnesses and injuries, it serves as a home to many residents.  Many of these residents are children who have been abandoned or orphaned.

Guatemala has a very high incidence of cerebral palsy (and similar neurological conditions) due to poor prenatal and neonatal care.  We were able to bring down lots of donated equipment to give to this population.  We also worked with the local physical therapists to develop sustainable treatment programs.  For example, we taught the local PTs how to make hand splints to help open up clenched fists.

This hand used to be closed shut due to spasticity.

In addition to teaching, we also learned a lot working with this patient population.  And we had a lot of fun, too!

{photos cropped to protect patient privacy}

We were also fortunate enough to learn about the beautiful country of Guatemala.

We even had a little time to play tourist!

At a market with my PT School BFFs (who are now readers in our wedding ceremony), and...

...climbing an active volcano!

{all personal photos}

It was such an amazing trip.  It was so incredibly rewarding, and I learned things that I take to my practice every day.  If any of you have an interest in doing some kind of a service trip, whether abroad or in your own country, I strongly encourage you to go for it!  You'll end up with a life-changing experience.