I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with the Health Talents International team at Hospital Ezell. The facility occupies a special place in my heart as it is where I first spent time in Guatemala.
It is also where I met my wife, Josefina.
Now, more than two decades after my initial visit to Guatemala, it felt a bit like a return to my roots to be back at Hospital Ezell. I was invited to share a couple of sessions reviewing current recommendations for patient care in the setting of cardiac arrest (i.e. BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP) with their clinical team.
Our initial session focused on the care of adults utilizing the American Heart Association's Advance Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) algorithms as a framework. And, our second session focused on the care of infants and children using the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines to inform our training.
My children came along for the ride and Taylor got in some reps doing compressions on our infant model.
The hospital campus includes a dormitory to house visiting teams. One of the dormitory rooms has a plaque beside its door designating it as:
"In Memory of Sandy Self"
My kids took their pictures beside their grandmother's plaque.
(Andrea, 15 & Charlotte, 9 pictured above)
(Natalie, 13 & Taylor, 6 pictured above)
Grateful remembrance of roots,
Joyful anticipation in branches.
