Pimpiguasi: Kerly's Story

June 20, 2002
By Mike and Kim

EKGs were carried out in several communities

The nature of this day, and quite possibly the entire trip, can best be exemplified by the story of one little girl named Kerly.  We were at the clinic in a community named Pinpiguasi, eager to learn and take on any challenges presented to us.  However, we had little idea what that truly entailed.  The second patient of the day was little Kerly.  She came in appearing to us as would any healthy, bright-eyed 8-year-old with all the prospects of a beautiful life.  But we soon realized, as Dr. Laws [cardiologist] explained the findings of her echocardio-gram to her mother and to the rest of us, that that was not the case.  Little Kerly suffers from a incomplete interventricular septum.  While a case like this is treatable for Americans, Ecuadorian doctors told her that she would not live to reach the age of 8.  As we stood back and watched her mother cry in hopelessness, our hearts went out not only to her, but also to every other young victim of the same health care system. 

Echocardiograms were carried out  in several communities

This system, while filled with wonderful doctors, nurses, and other humanitarians, suffers from a lack of organization and proper tools to treat sick people.  And, unfortunately for Kerly and others like her, these inadequacies fall hardest on the children whose lives are cut short.