2016 February

Follow up of patients after the big mission:

After most of the mission volunteers have gone home, we had a bit of rest and then prepared  patients who needed further diagnostic/laboratory tests and surgery returned to the mission chapel for their follow up care.

Virginie and Nolwenn are setting up the optical testing area
while Marie is reviewing the procedure for vision testing

Marie, the nurse, reviewing procedure for vision testing

  

Virginie, the accountant, prepares for a long day

Agnes, the pharmacist

          

Drug study...

Agnes, the pharmacist

Nolwenn, the nurse-midwife

Solemnidad Amolar, the social worker, 

interviewing a patient to assess her economic situation and community resources 

to determine the scope of the assistance needed.

 

preparing the patient's intake record for referral to the hospital social worker
to avail of maximum assistance on hospitalization

Annalie listing of patients with eye disease, cataract or pterygium

Yolly interviewing and classifying patients according to urgency

waiting patients

vision testing to find the eyeglasses that fit perfectly

Marco asking for a VP shunt to reduce headache due to building up of intracranial pressure

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  Happy patient saying "Merci beaucoup!"

....à demain!

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February 8-13 and February 15

A million thanks to all the generous volunteers for their sacrifices and dedication.  God bless you all!

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2016 January

Merry Christmas and Thank You Very Much!

Dear Friends and Benefactors of Rosa Mystica Health Mission,

         A holy Christmas and a blessed new year to you all!  For your intentions we offered a 15-decade Rosary each morning for 9 days before Christmas.  May the good God bless you for all your kindness. Thank you very much for making the mission possible.  

          

Very respectfully and gratefully yours, 

Yolly and all the patients and staff

   

This is our simple Christmas crib.

The children patients gathered before the Holy Infant at midnight and offered their hearts in thanksgiving for all the graces they received from God through the mission.  They prayed for their benefactors and for their families.

This is Pascual, locally known as "Paul", very grateful to the generous hearts that helped him pay his hospital bill, making it possible for him to serve Holy Mass on Christmas Day.

During the first quarter of 2009, a distraught woman came to the mission to beg for blood for her daughter who was bleeding from dengue hemorrhagic fever.  After receiving help from the mission, she made it a habit to bring all her children to the mission chapel every Sunday, as much as she and her children could manage, walking 13 kilometers under the hot sun with 5 children, the youngest being only 4 years old then.  A few months later, she besought the mission in tears to help her seven-year old daughter who was hit by a motorcyclist who ran away just after dropping them at the public hospital.  Her children started receiving the Sacraments the following year. Two years ago, she and her children transferred to a remote mountain village in Davao del Sur.  She got sick there where medical care was inaccessible but with her characteristic patience, she simply bore her illness silently.  This year, upon hearing of her plight, mission staff urged her relatives to bring her to Gensan where she could be given free medical care but she died before she could be transported.  On October, the mission found ways to bring all her children to Gensan to live with their poor grandmother, so that they could be nearer their godparents who can regularly check their catechism study and also monitor and provide for their material needs.  In the picture above, her children (first two taller girls standing at the left on the second row and the girl wearing a Rosary, standing at the right) are posing after their first performance as choir members for the Christmas Mass, together with three of their cousins. 

They wish to express their gratitude to all the mission volunteers and sponsors who had given them good memories over the years and who continue to provide for their needs after the loss of their mother.

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Bernardo's mother, Michelle, is sending her heartfelt greetings to the mission donors for the food, transportation, medication and all kindness shown to them.  

Photo of Bernardo taken after his surgery.

Bernardo, prior to his surgery.

All thanks and praises be to God for the blessings and trials of the year 2015.

May all benefactors and patients be blessed.  

2015 April

Happy Easter to all Benefactors, Volunteers and Friends!

Impart to our souls, O Lord, the Spirit of Thy love, that those whom Thou hast fed with the Paschal Mystery may be united in harmony by Thy merciful goodness...

2015 March

Daybreak in Tacloban

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us 

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death 

and to guide our feet into the way of peace....

((((((((((((  +  )))))))))))  

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Block Rosary Started in the Bunkhouses

One hundred and ten families living in the bunkhouses joined the block Rosary.  All of these families are beneficiaries of the Rosa Mystica Health Mission.  

May the Mother of the Poor be their constant refuge.

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Patients Hoping to Get Relief Through the Mission

From Samar, this boy was brought to the mission in Tacloban

in the hope of obtaining free surgical repair of cleft lip and palate.  

Patient with breast cancer sought help for the surgical removal of breast with cancer. She came with Dr. Maire from Southern Leyte to Tacloban hoping for relief. Mission volunteers brought her to Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center for biopsy and surgery.

Alvin from Samar with a radical cyst on his chin... waiting for his surgery schedule.

Baby Bernardo on February 2015

Baby Bernardo on March 2015

Dr. Maire in the mission chapel in Tacloban
discussing with a mission volunteer the follow up care for a patient in Southern Leyte

waiting for the surgical schedile

Waiting for free medicines

A mission patient.  Hungry.  One among many. 

Hungry family.  The father works as a security guard but his salary is low and comes irregularly.  He can barely feed his children from his earnings.  The mission augments the children's food.
He is asking the mission to help him find other sources of income.

Free meal for patients on the farewell to Dr. Maire Nesta Nic Gerhailt. 

Farewell, Dr. Maire!  

We cannot thank you enough for your dedicated service to the poor.  We pray that God will bless you always.

May the road rise to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields.  And until we meet again, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His Hand.

 

If I only had wings, I would fly, I would fly to the sky, I would fly through the winds and beg you to come back...

 

 Farewell, Doc Maire.

Thank you for sharing our simple joys!!!

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 Bon Voyage Virginie and Floriane!

 Thank you for your generous help!

2015 February: Rosa Mystica Health Mission in Tacloban

Page construction is going on... please expect changes...

Venue

The mission was held at the Tacloban City Convention Center, popularly known as the Astrodome.   The office of the City Mayor generously waived the rental fee and allowed us access to electricity. 

Patients

Three thousand, nine hundred and thirty two patients were served in various departments within eight days of mission work.  Because of the free laboratory and diagnostic tests and free surgery (as needed), very many patients lined up but we had to turn down many of them because we could not serve everybody.  

Medical Services

There were three doctors at the pediatric section:  Dr. Emely Lagare from General Santos City, Dr. Loan Phan from the United States of America, and Dr. Ma. June Viray from Iloilo City.  Each of these doctor had an assistant who also served as interpreter.   

The pediatric pharmacy served by French volunteers and two interpreters.

The pediatric pharmacy was manned by 

Magali Burguburu, HR Manager from France

Ombelline Burguburu, Nurse from France

Claire Garnaud, Nurse from France

Anne Maelle Bouillaud, Teacher from France

Caroline Vergez, Nurse from France

and interpreters:  Floralyn Ghela, Rostillen Callo, Rosmar Ordovas, Ralph Brieva, Rose Ann Magcuro

At the Adult Section, there were three general practitioners:

Dr. Maire Nesta Nic Gerhailt from Ireland, assisted by Ronielyn Lagdamen from Tacloban

Dr. Patrick della Bianca from Switzerland, assisted by Sheryll Castor from Quezon City and Joward Ibuyat from Quezon City

Dr. Jean-Pierre Dickes from France, who came with two French physician assistants Dr. Roxane Losco and Dr. Nancy Steinfeld

Paulo Niccolo de Veyra - Nurse from Taclobn and Sunshine Isla - Nurse from Manila - acted as interpreters for Dr. Dickes

A neurologist:  Dr. Didier Genoud from Switzerland, assisted by

A dermatologist:  Dr. Rob Casquejo from the United States of America, assisted by Elizabeth Lopez - Nurse from the USA and Marguerite Pardoe - Nurse from France

An ophthalmologist:  Dr. Elaine Baens Araneta from Manila, assisted by 

An orthopedic surgeon from the Philippine Army came to lend a hand at the last day of the extension clinic.

At the Dental section:  Dr. Nelda Nisperos.  

She was assisted by a dentist from the Philippine Army for a short while.

          Dr. Nelda Nisperos at the Dental Section. 

The adult pharmacy behind the mission altar.

Faithfully serving the adult pharmacy were
Brigitte Coulange, a Doctor of Pharmacy from France
and her assistants:
Bernadette Dickes, Nurse-Midwife from France
Romaine della Bianca, a Nurse from Switzerland
Sophie Challan-Belval, a Secretary from France
Melinda Khor, a Businesswoman from Malaysia
and two Filipino interpreters from the Philippine Army

Spiritual Dimension

Volunteers

The foreign volunteers were exemplary in their patience and endurance.  First, food was exotic.  And many suffered abdominal problems due to the food.  Also, there was a problem with the toilets, although the condition was much better than the previous year.  The toilets at the basement of the Astrodome were already accessible, so the primitive portalets were thankfully rendered unnecessary.  However, there was a problem with the water supply.  There were plastic drums with stagnant water that was used to flush the toilets but there was no water for hand washing.  Bottles of alcohol placed in the lavatories for hand sanitation had a magical way of disappearing.  And the person in charge of monitoring the sanitation of the toilets often got sidetracked with other tasks.