|
|||||
 |
|
||||
|
Story Continued — "The joy I receive working in the burn unit is amazing," Lewis said. "I love my patients. Every day is challenging; anything could happen at any time." It's her love for Parkland that motivated her to join a medical mission trip to Nicaragua with her son, a pre-med student at the University of Texas at Austin. Armed with her life experiences, she joined a team of doctors, nurses and dentists from across Texas deep in the jungle where an old school building was converted into a makeshift hospital. They administered pregnancy tests, dental health checkups, wound care, medications and most importantly, education.
Most of all, the experience was eye opening for the Dallas native. "Things we take for granted such as indoor plumbing and running water are foreign to those who live in remote villages," she added. "Without Parkland in my blood, I don't think I would have ever tried new things and I most certainly wouldn't have visited Nicaragua." The Parkland veteran plans to go on more mission trips and hopes to inspire others to branch out to help those in need, both at Parkland and abroad. "What this trip and the people we treated gave me was far more than I could have ever given them." |
|||||
 |
|||||
"We
saw close to 2,000 patients during the week," she said. "Some
of the patients walked hours each way to be treated by our
team." Many people were seen for tooth decay and children were
given toothbrushes in hopes they would care for their teeth
and teach others to do the same.