In Memoriam

We’ve just returned from the funeral of Leonard Hicks, a faithful supporter and a great friend. Leonard was the owner of Castle Door and Hardware, next door to the Hospitals of Hope office, and we couldn’t have asked for a better neighbor.

Leonard was always eager to help us out however he could, whether it was by loaning us an extra forklift or by donating and installing doors in the Clinics in Cans. If you’ve spent much time at the office, you probably met Leonard, and you definitely met his dog Molly, who greeted us every morning as we arrived.

Leonard was the cofounder of the Bridgeport Area Business Association, and, when we decided to build Clinics in a Can for Haiti in January, he not only donated his own materials and labor but also recruited other area businesses to help out.

We were humbled to learn that Leonard’s family chose to set up a memorial fund benefitting Hospitals of Hope. Leonard gave so much in life; we should not have been surprised to learn that he would keep giving, even after death.

We will miss Leonard, but we don’t believe that we’ve seen him for the last time. As Tennyson wrote,

Strong Son of God, immortal Love,

Whom we, that have not seen thy face,

By faith, and faith alone, embrace,

Believing where we cannot prove;


...

Thou wilt not leave us in the dust:

Thou madest man, he knows not why,

He thinks he was not made to die;

And thou hast made him: thou art just.

...

We have but faith: we cannot know;

For knowledge is of things we see;

And yet we trust it comes from thee,

A beam in darkness: let it grow.

The Best Volunteers Ever

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I have to say it again—we have great volunteers.

With only three of us on staff here in Wichita, there’s far more work to do than we can handle on our own. With office tasks to complete, donations to inventory and pack, medical equipment to test and fix, trips to coordinate, events to plan, etc, our work can seem pretty overwhelming. But our volunteers make it manageable.

In the last couple of weeks, volunteers have built a new set of shelves in the warehouse and worked on organizing, packing crates, completing paperwork, and more. Here’s a picture of the new shelves. (As you can tell, they're already getting full!)

So, to all of you who give of your time, energy, and money to make our work possible, thanks. We couldn’t do it without you!

PA Students at Work in Bolivia

A team of 5 students from Wichita State University has arrived at our hospital in Bolivia, where they’ll be working for the next month. These students, in their 2nd year of the Physician Assistant program at WSU, are completing a rotation at our level II hospital, where they’ll learn about treating patients in a third world setting while assisting hospital staff.

This year’s students will be supervised by Michael Wawrzewski, PA-C, Hospitals of Hope’s founder and CEO, as well as by E.J. Reppert, MD, MPH. They will have the opportunity to observe differences in the healthcare systems of the US and Bolivia, as well as to see cases that they would not normally see in a US hospital, such as Chagas disease.

One former student, who has since spent time working in Afghanistan, commented that, in Bolivia, "you learn about health care that has limitations of money, medical supplies, instruments, and medicine, so you have to be more creative. That’s an excellent thing to learn as a medical provider."

We can set up rotations in Family Practice, Ob/Gyn, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Orthopedics, and Pediatrics at our hospital in Bolivia. We have formal arrangements with schools including WSU, Salus University, and Yale, but we have worked with other schools, as well.

If you’re interested in completing a rotation with us, email daniel@hospitalsofhope.org or call our office at 316.262.0964.