Oct. 13, 2008

Periodically, TarHeelBlue.com has enjoyed taking the opportunity to profile UNC women's lacrosse players off the field, including taking a look at what some student-athletes did with their summers away from Chapel Hill. To read about Chelsea Parks's summer, click here.

by Meredith Newton

After three summers of doing hard manual labor, I was ready for a change. For the past three years my summer job consisted of digging, weeding, tilling, mulching, fertilizing, hauling rocks and plants around, and dealing at times with harsh Mother Nature (like yellow jackets and water snakes).

My official job description (or at least the one I gave it) was "Restoration Project Maintenance" at a public school system outdoor education center. Now, don't get me wrong; I loved my job. I wasn't cramped up in a cubicle, confined to a chair all day. I was outdoors, with fresh air, listening to the beautiful sounds of nature...along with the band, chorus, and orchestra camps that graced the campus. Not to mention, my boss gave me the freedom to take off whenever I needed to for camps, tournaments, or vacation.

Despite the benefits, I figured this summer should go towards a serious internship. But after a year at college, my plans shifted once again. I decided I wanted a summer to take advantage of various opportunities that struck my interest before I really had to settle down and start working towards experience in the real world.

This summer I had the great fortune of participating in two particularly amazing experiences, one to start the summer and the other to cap things off. Shortly after finishing up our spring lacrosse season, I flew out to Fort Collins, Colorado for one week to attend an Athletes in Action (AIA) camp called the Ultimate Training Camp (UTC). AIA is a branch of the organization Campus Crusade for Christ. The mission of AIA is to help strengthen athletes in their faith, teach athletes how to bring their faith into their sport, and to use the platform of sport to spread the good news. At UTC, the main focus is on learning how to incorporate biblical principles into competition and playing for God's glory. People always described how life-changing this experience could be, but that is an understatement.

The camp is located on the campus of Colorado State University in the breath-taking Rocky Mountains. In general, how the camp worked was, everyday in the morning we started off with worship: singing, dancing, and having a good time. Then we learned a biblical principle in a large group, lecture-like setting. Following, we went outside and incorporated the lesson into some volleyball matches. Get 50 collegiate athletes together in a competitive arena and things start to get a little intense. Afterwards we would have free time for working out, playing around, and hanging out. In the evenings we had a second worship and then small group time where we got to discuss the struggles and triumphs of the day's events and get to know a couple people on a deeper level. Finally, at various times throughout the week we had the opportunity to have a little fun, including an ice-cream social, go-karting, and whitewater rafting. Early one morning I even got up at 4 a.m. to hike up Horsetooth Mountain to watch the sunrise.

All of the lessons and volleyball of the first few days of the week were leading up to the big event of the camp called The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. which stands for: Scriptural Principles + Exhaustion = Confidence In Almighty Lord. The SPECIAL is a 20 hour competition. All of the campers were divided into teams and we competed for 20 hours straight (with about 3 hours of sleep in the middle) in volleyball, ultimate frisbee, kickball, relay races, tug-off-war, swimming, basketball, running, an obstacle course, and a written test. The final event was a half mile run down a mountain hill carrying a 2x4, and then a half mile run back up the hill with the 2x4 across our shoulders, representing the cross. All week long everyone was talking about "The Special," how tough it was going to be, how exhausting. But you really can't describe it unless you experience it. The SPECIAL is one of the best things I have ever experienced and one of the worst, all at the same time. In order to get the most out of it, you have to give everything you've got; compete to full exhaustion. The SPECIAL tested me and taught me so much, especially how to relay on a higher power than myself.

After a bonfire and an evening of rest following the SPECIAL, the next morning we got up to participate in an outreach opportunity. We went to a local jail to interact and play some basketball and volleyball with a few of the inmates. This experience topped off the already incredible week. All of the inmates were so genuine and very open to our message. They really wanted to hear our stories as well as share their own. Their appreciation for interaction was illustrated by the nicknames we were calling one another by the end of the visit. Who knew such complete strangers, let alone inmates, could be so welcoming and friendly? Who knows what kind of impact we might have made on them, but it is a powerful thought to consider that a few hours of our time could have changed someone's life completely. It really made me rethink where my time is spent and where my priorities lie.

After some heartfelt goodbyes, lots of tears and crying, numerous photo ops, final exchanges of memories and laughter and nine hours in airplane delays, I was back home in Maryland, ready for the rest of my summer events. I headed down to Chapel Hill to help with our summer lacrosse camps. Then I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding. Immediately following, I had the opportunity to be a counselor at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Power Camp (8-13 year olds playing various sports) in my area. Then, I was off to my last big event of the summer before our family beach trip and the start of school.

At the end of July, I traveled to Panama for two weeks with the organization Global Medical Training (GMT). The purpose of the trip was to set up medical clinics in 3 locations in Panama, to see patients, and to prescribe medication. GMT is a learning/teaching oriented organization, focused on giving students hands on experience and direct interaction with patients and doctors. After flying into Panama City and getting a brief orientation on how clinics were going to run, we traveled four hours west of Panama City to Chitre, our first site. At every location we performed two days of clinic.

Our group had a total of 29 students from across the country from various universities. We worked with one American doctor, Dr. Wil, the founder of GMT, and three local Panamanian doctors. Also traveling with us were three translators, but additional local translators volunteered in each town. Because of the number of students, in every town we set up two clinic sites with half of the students and doctors at each site. The clinics would typically run from about 9:00 am to about 3:00 pm, depending on the number of people who showed up. We worked until there were no more patients left.

All of our clinics were run out of local churches. In Panama, a typical church is very open to the elements. The walls are made out of cement blocks, and the roof is tin. But, usually, there is a gap between the walls and the roof and openings in the cement walls, allowing the sun and breeze in, as well as rain when it stormed. We set up every clinic in the same format. We had a waiting area, examination area, and the pharmacy. In the examination area, the students formed groups of three or four with one translator. We would see anywhere from one patient at a time to a whole household of four or five family members. Once a patient(s) came over to a group, the students would take vitals, ask questions, and perform physicals. We would, as a group, diagnose the patients, determine a treatment plan, and decide on medication and dosage to prescribe if necessary. Then we would ask a doctor to come over to our group. We explained the situation and proposed our treatment plan. The doctor would usually ask the patients a few more questions, then would either approve our plan or instruct us on why we needed to change it and to what. Finally we would take the patients over to the pharmacy area, give them their medication and say our goodbyes. Each day, every group of 3-4 students saw about 40-55 patients.

Although we were only in Panama for two weeks and only in clinic for 6 days, we saw a lot and gained immense knowledge and experience. In a purely medical sense, I learned how to take vitals, how to diagnose various illnesses and conditions, and how to prescribe medicine for those illnesses and conditions. We saw a variety of cases, anywhere from joint and muscle pain, to cataracts, gastritis, parasites, fungal infection, urinary tract infections, and much more. But seeing all sorts of diseases wasn't what struck me the most -- it was the people, their joy and hope, and their unique positive outlook on life.

For many of the patients we were able to successfully offer them effective treatment, through medication and talk of appropriate life-style changes. However, what became so very frustrating at times was when, for many patients, all we could do was treat them symptomatically. If a construction worker came into clinic and complained about back pain, we could offer them some diclofenac or acetaminophen, which would relieve the pain for a few weeks. Unfortunately, once the medicine runs out, the man will be right back to where he started. All we could offer was a few weeks of relief, or only a few days in some cases. Additionally, since we had no access to lab tests or medical machinery, we had to base most of our diagnoses strictly on the patient's description of the symptoms. Unless there were any physical markings, tenderness, or swelling, related to the illness that we could analyze upon a physical exam, we had to treat for the most highly likely cause of discomfort. Given, most of the cases seemed pretty straight forward, but you never know sometimes.

In spite of my periodic doubts on what good I was really doing these people, the Panamanians clearly showed us how much they appreciated our presence and help in their towns. Through interaction with several of the people it became evident that our presence was medicine all in its own. I was so amazed by the high expectations they had for our treatment. Some came into clinic and did not care what kind of medicine that we gave them, as long as we gave them something because they knew that our medicine and treatment was better than anything they could afford or get in Panama. Some people came into clinic already with a prescription, but they couldn't afford to pay for it on their own. So we were able to give them free medicine if we had what they needed. Others were happy just to receive vitamins.

The common feeling was that the Panamanians trusted and believed strongly that whatever kind of treatment they got was good medicine, even if the treatment was simply talk-therapy. One woman, after we had already given her her medication, persisted to sit in her seat. We realized she wanted to talk. The woman had high blood pressure and explained to us that she was a very stressed individual, specifically stemming from her experiences fighting cancer. She told us about her faith and her ability to remain strong in her life. After talking, we could tell that now her treatment was complete; she was pleased with the medication, but having an opportunity to talk through the struggles in her life, even though we were speaking different languages, was the real medicine that she needed. She left with a smile on her face, and we sat in awe of the interaction we had just experienced.

One of the best parts of clinic work, however, was the children. For the trip, students could raise medicine donations for the pharmacy, but we could also bring along stickers, lollipops, or toothbrushes and toothpaste to hand out during clinic. After treating a sick child (many of which were terrified of us because they thought we were going to give them a shot), we would hand him a lollipop or stick a sticker on his shirt, and his eyes would light up. We started handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste, and things got crazy. You can tell a lot about a culture based on what small gifts really get people excited. After handing out a few toothbrushes, kids would run out of clinic to grab other friends to come back to get toothbrushes also. Before we knew it, we were swarmed by little kids saying, "Cepillo. Cepillo. Cepillo de dientes (toothbrush)." Maybe it was the fact that the toothbrushes were Batman and Superman. Either way, the children, I will never forget. We would be ready to send a family on its way when the children would run back and hug us and kiss us on the cheek, grinning from ear to ear.

This summer flew by quicker than most, but it was full of memories that I hope I never forget. My experiences have changed me, and I am so excited about this transformation I am undergoing. The start of school may mean the end to the summer, but I hope it never means the end to the growth I have enjoyed over the past few months. I am so excited to share the happenings of my summer because they mean so much to me. There is no way I can fully express in words what I have seen and what I have experienced, but I hope this gives a glimpse. If you ever get the chance to partake in experiences such as these, don't let the opportunity pass you by.