Monthly Archives: November 2013

One of My Favorite Christmas Things

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We bought an artificial Christmas tree when we were in Lima for Visa work and had it shipped to Curahuasi.  It us up today!  It has me thinking of the things I like about Christmas.  One of them is cards!  I love seeing everyones pictures and reading their news.

We can get cards her in Peru, and we would love to get yours if you feel like sending it here.  If not you can send it to my mom.  Here are the addresses.  For the mail that is sent to Abancay, a city about 1 1/2 hours away that has the closest post office, please write only Will or Allison’s name.  Do not write the Caire family, or the Caire kids.  If so it is much harder for us to obtain the mail.

Will Caire / Allison Caire
Diospi Suyana
Apartado 210
Abancay, Apurimac
PERU

You can also send letters to my Mom, and she will get them to us . . . right Mom!

Ruth Caire, 1224 Cloverdale Drive, Dallas, TX 75080.

Vision Restored

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I steal posts from Diospi Suyana Hospital all the time!  Dr. John said it was OK!  There is so much going on.  I often hear the stories, but I don’t have pictures or often details and the hospital website can give a short description with pictures and more honesty than I can.  I would surely miss a detail.  The following is one of the great success stories . . . there are many.  In the following story, the girl was almost past the age when she could have this problem corrected.  She actually had no idea her vision was bad, because she was born with congenital cataracts.  Her vision had never been better; she just thought that is how everyone saw.  When she was asked how her vision was, she thought it was fine.  I am also impressed how Dr. Martina John was able to recognize something was wrong by just how the child was acting and blinking. She was at the hospital for a completely different reason.  Way to go Dr. John!  Here is the story from the Hospital Diospi Suyana website.

Surgery Before It Was Too Late

Able to view the beauty of the world.

Able to view the beauty of the world.

Dr. Ursula Buck, the young patient and her mother

Dr. Ursula Buck, the young patient and her mother

We are happy for Jenny

During an examination, pediatrician Dr. Martina John notices that the girl in front her keeps blinking. Something seems to be wrong with her eyes, and so the doctor sends the twelve-year-old girl over to the eye clinic. The findings are alarming: The vision of the right eye is at 10%, the vision of her left eye at 30%. The diagnosis: Congenital cataracts, present for many years. Our eye doctors know there is no time to lose. During the three-hour surgery with general anesthesia, Dr. Buck removes the two defective lenses and inserts artificial lenses. Only four days after the surgery, Jenny’s eyesight is at 50% and further recovery seems likely.  We are all extremely happy about these positive results, especially since congenital cataracts are normally only operable until 12 years of age. This time, when Jenny will get on her horse for her two-hour-long ride home, she will be able to properly see the beauty of her surroundings again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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We are so thankful to have spent our Thanksgiving holiday with the family of Brendan and Erin Connally, the family of Stephen and Finley Wright, and the Morigeau’s kids with their babysitters Beatrice and Liv from Germany.  It was a great day of Thanksgiving!  Brendan and Erin are missionaries with SIM.  Erin is a dentist and Brendan is a linguist.  You can read about their work at this link.  They live in Abancay which is about 1 1/2 hours from Curahausi.  I think they are the only Americans in Abancay which sort of blew David’s mind.  One thing Allison and I find really interesting about them is that they are from Tacoma, WA where we lived for two years while I was doing a Rural Medicine Fellowship.  We can share memories with them about living there which is a lot of fun.  Also Erin attended Abilene Christian University where we went to school as well.  It is a lot of things to share together in our history.  Stephen is a dentist working at Diospi Suyana Hospital, and his wife Finley is a social worker.  The Morigeaus were off in Lima working on their Visa paperwork, but two young German girls who are doing a gap year here in Curahuasi are watching their kids.  They came with them to share Thanksgiving with us.  We had a full and happy day, without rain and great views.  I missed football on the TV, and the background noise of the parades on TV in the morning, but I was glad to be with friends, and we were all glad to remember the way God has blessed us this year and all the years previously.

This turkey was alive yesterday! I miss my steroid fed turkeys from the US. It was a little tough and gamey for me.
Kids trying to beat the sunshine. Its not hot, just bright with views hard to beat!
Enjoying the view, conversation, and food. Represented in this picture; Germany, Texas, Washington, Tennessee
Chocolate, Key Lime/Lemon (limes are more like lemons here), Pumpkin (which is actually half sweet potato, half zayote but the combo tastes a lot like pumpkin pie) pumpkin cheesecake (actually zayote again), apple pies
David ponders a successful thanksgiving as we thinks about what the Christmas season may have in store!

I love Mr. Saggypants

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IMG_3249Today marks thirteen years that I have had the honor to be Mrs. Will Caire, or here in Peru, doctorita.  In Curahuasi, if you are a gringo associated with the hospital, you have been granted an automatic M.D. because everyone calls you “doctor” or “doctora.”   I like it when they call me doctora because I am associated with Will and his work.

(Many of you dear blog readers were there to help us celebrate 13 years ago.  You may remember what a beautiful fall day it would have been for an outdoor wedding!)

I won’t go on and on, but it is a wonderful thing to accept a challenge with your best friend and to discover new depths together.  It is beautiful to find that you are still in love with the same person as the years roll on.  It is inspirational to watch that person grow as God transforms them.  It is comforting to find that you still prefer spending time with that person than with any other.  It must be the Lord’s work.

Why the title?  Because Will has lost fifteen pounds in the last two months, as a result of both climbing the hill and eating the food available here.  His belt is working overtime to keep those pants up and it often amuses me to see the folds in his waistband.  In so many ways, you’re better than ever, love!  Here’s to many more happy years together!

Family Medicine Residents at Diospi Suyana? Maybe.

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Most of you know that most of my professional doctor career has been in medical education.  I have worked in academic medicine as an attending physician in family medicine residencies.  If you don’t know what a residency is, the best way to describe it is as on the job training.  You enter residency after medical school, and your practice medicine, but you are under a lot of supervision.  You have physicians to whom you tell about your patients, and they give you advice.  I was one of those guys who had to give advice.  So one thing that is interesting her in Curahuasi at Diospi Suyana Hospital is that we may start receiving family medicine residents for a month at a time to work in our hospital.  What a blessing that would be for us, as we could see more patients.  Also it will let us develop relationships with more national physicians here in Peru.  And there is the possibility of spiritual discipleship and bible studies with these young physician residents as well.  A blessing all around.  Read about it a little more at the article from the Diospi Suyana Hospital website.

Medical residents for the mission hospitalcb53b34979

10 junior medical assistants with the desire to work for Diospi Suyana. After the lecture by Dr. John on the last Friday.

10 junior medical assistants with the desire to work for Diospi Suyana. After the lecture by Dr. John on the last Friday.

Perhaps from the University of Cayetano Heredia

In view of the patient queues at the door of the hospital, we could use the support of medical assistants. On the last Friday – before the departure to Canada, Dr. John spoke to 10 junior medical assistants who are currently being trained at the Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia to become general practitioners. Gynaecologist Dr. Jens Haßfeld had suggested and prepared this meeting.

Since junior medical assistants are missing across the country, a partnership with Cayetano Heredia would be a true breakthrough. Negotiations with the University of San Marcos, with the same goal, were unsuccessful four years ago.

The difference Between Boys and Girls, David’s picture of Curahuasi, and a view from our House

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A quick summary of the difference between boys and girls in pictures.  First the sign on the girls bedroom door.

Speaking as their father who knows them well, the girls are super sweet. ;)

Speaking as their father who knows them well, the girls are super sweet. 😉

Now the boys two signs.  Sarah cried until she was read the fine print by Annie.  (You can click on the pictures for a better view and to read a little bit about the pictures.)

The fine print in the corner says “Warning, If you are a girl not with Caire in their name you will not go in. Any girl caught in here will be hurt.

Now a picture of Curahuasi, drawn by David, and a picture of the hospital from our backyard.

David likes to draw black and white pencil sketches. This is his version of Curahuasi and our house.
A view from the house a couple nights ago! I thank God often for this place he has given us to live in. Thank you Brady family for letting us rent it.