For Kelly O’Doherty, it has never been too late to try something new. When Kelly decided to go to nursing school, being in her mid-30’s did not stop her. When Kelly realized her passion was labor and delivery, her focus in cardiac did not stop her. When Kelly decided to travel hundreds of miles to a Guatemalan town she had never heard of, nothing was going to stop her.
It was two years ago that Kelly learned some of her fellow nurses from WakeMed had traveled to Guatemala with Raleigh-based, global health nonprofit, Impact Global Health Alliance Global. The group traveled to the northwest highlands of Guatemala to help provide health care for mothers and children. The indigenous women suffered from extreme maternal mortality – more than five times the national average.
Kelly looked at their pictures, listened to their stories and knew it was an experience she wanted to be a part of too. “It really brought me back to the roots of my nursing practice, providing people with the fundamentals, so they could learn more about themselves and their health,” Kelly explained.
The opportunity for Kelly arrived in 2018. She learned that WakeMed was again partnering with Impact Global Health Alliance Global to visit its project site and Casa Maternas, one of the driving forces behind the nonprofit’s successes. The maternity centers provide culturally-accepted care and support during pregnancy, birth, and the child’s first five years of life.
Along with visiting the project site, Kelly would have the opportunity to work with local staff and volunteers from within the community, providing them with the knowledge and skills to provide basic medical care and make referrals to the Casa Materna or the hospital, which was hours away from the often forgotten community.
Despite her excitement, Kelly did not think it was going to be possible. Her son had just started college and it wasn’t something she and her family felt prepared to take on. Still, Kelly’s friends at Impact Global Health Alliance Global encouraged her to raise money and even try a fundraiser.
Within the coming months, Kelly’s concerns began to disappear. One of the nurses in the group, who had raised money for months and already surpassed her goal, offered to share her money with Kelly to help with the trip’s down payment. “I knew that if she was going to be that generous, I was going to find a way to go,” remembered Kelly. She continued to raise money and even took on a position as a part-time Clinical Instructor in OB/Maternity for Duke University’s School of Nursing.
Kelly and her team embarked on the trip for Guatemala in March 2019. They spent their first two nights in Antigua, where they had their first opportunity to experience the culture: traditionally dressed women, the markets, Mayan culture, and of course, the delicious food. By the second night, they were ready to get to the Casa Materna and begin their work.
For Kelly, the trip up the mountain to the project site was unlike any other experience she had ever had. “We had a bus that took us to the town outside of the Casa, then exchanged to get into a 4×4 pickup truck to get to the remote location of the community,” Kelly explained. “Sure, being in the back of the truck for an hour and a half was rough, but then you watch the beauty of the countryside, evolve into pure poverty: trash, shacks, dogs, chickens, pigs.”
After their journey to the remote village, Kelly and the group were welcomed with open arms by the staff and volunteers at the Casa Materna. After a delicious dinner and introductory meeting, the real work quickly set in. “We found out a mother, who was 33 or 34 weeks was at her home, hemorrhaging,” recalled Kelly. “Jairo got into the truck and went and picked her up – and when she arrived, we could tell she was hurting. While the staff assessed her, I played with her two children, keeping them occupied. Fortunately, she was not hemorrhaging and had a urinary tract infection, but if it hadn’t been for the Casa, it’s unlikely she would have received the care she needed.”
Impact Global Health Alliance Global reaches remote villages comprised of more than 10,000 Mayan children and nearly 20,000 Mayan women of reproductive age. Over the last eight years, this successful community-based project has reduced child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea by nearly 50 percent and effectively reduced neonatal mortality by 30 percent.
Throughout the week, Kelly and her group traveled with Community Health Workers to some of the clinics where medical interventions are offered to provide immunizations for children and conduct prenatal checkups.
They also accompanied Casa Materna staff on home visits to perform scheduled checks on young children and review information from the health classes with the mothers. For Kelly, it was remarkable to watch the community-based care program unfold. “These home visits are such an integral part of what they do – they know every home – who is in each home, who is pregnant, when they’re due,” said Kelly. “I feel like that sense of community health is something we’re missing here in the US.”
It was also during these visits that Kelly recognized the resilience of the community. Despite living with dirt floors, cooking over an open fire, or even watching chickens walk through a family’s kitchen, she never felt the people were unhappy; instead, they were the exact opposite. “I saw that they were able to do so much with so little,” Kelly said. “They were gracious, kind and happy.”
One early morning, while asleep at the Casa Materna, Kelly and the other nurses were woken up by the staff. They found out a mother, who was in very early labor, had been brought in to the facility. After a successful delivery that was attended by all Guatemalan health workers, Kelly and the staff ensured that the baby was breastfeeding well, and that the mother had no complications following the birth. Seeing Guatemalans serving Guatemalans is an example of sustainability in action. Impact Global Health Alliance Global ensures sustainable health for all through the trusted adage, “teaching to fish, rather than giving fish”. It is these Guatemalan health workers, experts in their field, who are empowered to provide sustainable, life-saving healthcare year-round.
They also had the opportunity to provide education to the staff, including how to respond to massive blood loss or how to administer antibiotics. “I think we learned more from them – the nurses were excellent and really focused on caring for the individual, the patient and not just the situation,” said Kelly. “It was that sense of community care, that helped me get back to my own roots and remind me why I do what I do.”
Kelly is back home now and often thinks about the people she had the opportunity to work with in Guatemala. She can’t help but look at her job, and even her life, a little differently. “Seeing another nurse’s heart in another language, another culture and knowing that despite everything else — the environment they work in, the difficulties they face – they’re 100 percent in it.”
If you or a group are interested in a rewarding traveling and volunteering opportunity with Impact Global Health Alliance Global, please contact us at [email protected].
