Trip details!

Last week we had another meeting with the wonderful ladies at the Radler Foundation about our trip!  It just makes me want to leave now as we get all the little details ironed out! I can't wait!

Trip dates

June 17 - July 9 = Kajo Keji, South Sudan
July 9 - July 13 = Italy (more to come below)

Work in the field

Preventable diseases are the main concern in South Sudan.  We'll be taking vitals, doing an overall health check, and testing for disease.  I will be testing for diseases such as malaria, typhoid, parasites, yellow fever, STI's, tuberculosis, hepatitis, etc.  After we know what/if a person has a certain disease we start treatment.  There is a pharmacy that MHI has set up under a tent to prescribe medications.  I'll be prescribing these people medication so that they can treat their disease.  

I am not going over to learn or observe front of the line surgeries or innovative medical procedures.  I am not going with the purpose of showing off advanced Western medicine.  I am going with the purpose of serving the needs of the people in Kajo Keji.  

Most do not know that they have a disease because symptoms are simply not present.  They might live happy lives and just die from ‘unknown causes’ at an early age.  By treating and vaccinating people, I can directly save lives one by one.  By quick, efficient testing and treatment I can reach the masses and make a difference.  

I’ll also be helping out with water treatment and delivery.  This is a big concern because infected water is at the heart of disease in South Sudan.  If we can get clean, fresh water to these villages we can decrease the chance that diseases do not come back after treatment.  

Vaccines

I have to go get all of my vaccines this Thursday!  Needles don’t bother me so it would not be a big deal if it weren’t for the vast number of vaccines I need to get.  Here’s a list:

Yellow fever

Hepatitis A&B

Meningococcal

Polio

Typhoid

Tetanus

Malaria

I just finished my Immunology block in which we learned about vaccines.  The premise behind a vaccine is quite simple.  You inject the person with an altered form of a live virus/bacteria/toxin and your body makes antibodies to the foreign material.  If you get exposed to typhoid for example after immunization, you won’t get it because your body can attack the species with the antibodies it made against the typhoid. 

One thing I learned was that you can get side effects/sickness if you get immunizations too close to each other.  I’m getting 8 at the same time and it’s essentially injecting my body with all those pathogens at once.  I’ve heard horror stories about people getting quite sick, but let’s hope I can dodge that bullet!

I start taking my malaria medication a few days before I leave, while I’m over there, and a few days after I get back to the States.  This is something I really don’t want to get.  Most people will have malaria so in case I catch it, we have treatment. 

Political Conflict

I’m going to brief you all on the conflict in South Sudan because I know several of you have asked or are worried about it.  It is true that recently there have been developing conflicts along the South Sudan/Uganda border.  I’m sure you all have heard about the KONY 2012 campaign and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).  The news tells you that the LRA rules most of the southern border of Sudan when in actuality they have moved west and have left several areas desolated.  I will be going to the areas left behind to take care of the war-torn victims and refugees.  Most of the conflicts in South Sudan stem from cows and children….agricultural and tribal conflicts.  White Americans are not the target, unlike in Mexico.  To be honest, the conflict is natural to a developing country. 

That being said, we do have an evacuation plan if needed.  I will be getting my visa for South Sudan and Uganda and purchasing traveler’s insurance.  If we get word that our area is no longer safe, they can fly us to Uganda or Kenya or other safe territory.  Nothing happens quickly in this part of the world due to the lack of transportation and road ways.  In the case of an uprising, it typically takes 2 weeks for anyone to arrive so plenty of advance notice will be available.  

Kajo Keji is not a target for these revolutionary groups.  Our friends at the Radler Foundation have been keeping up with the situation every day and are monitoring it closely while in the States and in Kajo Keji.  They would not send us if it weren’t safe, so I assure you that everything is being done to ensure our safety. 

Italy

After I leave Kajo Keji, I will be spending a few days in Rome before my return to DFW.  I could not possibly connect flights in London without taking some time to travel abroad.  I want to go to Rome because I know God is going to change my heart in Sudan.  I am preparing now to go with an open heart and mind to whatever He is calling me to do.  I will experience true poverity and sickness and I want to thank God at the end of my trip for the opportunity to help this community, using all the blessings He has given me in my life. 

I will be traveling to Rome by myself.  I know it sounds strange for a 22 year old to be exploring a new country by herself, but I really want to.  I love this time of my life.  It’s full of open roads and opportunities and I’m doing my best to take advantage of it all!

Fundraising update

My new total is $3,150.00!! I have my goal set at $3,500.00 so I am just in need of $350!  God has been so good during this process and has blessed me with such generous donors.  I could not ask for more support and encouraging words.  You all should be receiving a little something from me in the mail soon and tax receipts will be sent out once the fundraiser ends in June. 

Thanks to all of you who have prayed and supported my cause!  Less than 2 months until I leave!

New fundraising total!

Hello everyone! 
 

 I just wanted to give you my Week 2 update!  I have been so blessed to receive several donations by check and online the past couple of weeks.  You all have been so generous in donating that I just wanted to use this update to thank all of my contributors thus far!

Center for Facial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine: Prehn Family - $350

Nieves Bonmati Lawrence - $250

Chris Kenny - $200

Anonymous donor - $200

Chris Cooper - $100

James Lawrence - $100

Ocampo Family - $100

My grand total is now $1,300.00!! I am 37.1% on my way to going to Sudan this summer!  The immense support I am receiving from everyone has really helped motivate me to get the whole trip sponsored.  I am a medical student on government loans for the next few years so I appreciate any way you can help out. 

I have to start getting all my immunizations soon so keep posted to see how all of THAT goes!  There are a lot!

Thanks again to all of my contributors! Please continue to keep all those in South Sudan in your prayers.

“We are called by scripture to give the world hope, and we aim to prove that no one should stop short of doing amazing things.” – The Radler Family

Inspiration: pictures and video

Here are some pictures and a video that initially inspired me to pursue this journey.  One of my classmates, Liz Levacy, traveled with MHI last summer and these pictures are a documentation of her trip.  She worked in Kajo Keji county while in South Sudan.  I will be serving the same group of people when I travel there this summer. 

Mobile Health International promo video

 

 Devotion and love

 Sorting through grain

 Pure beauty

Women carry the bulk of the workload

Community day: building a house

Hope in God's love

No money can guarantee this happiness

The need.  Lining up to receive treatment

Home.

 Praising our Creator through Sunday worship

It brings tears to my eyes imagining how I will be able to bring comfort and hope to many families.  I will be living their life for a few weeks.  I will learn their ways and leave some of my own.  

My hope is that God will use me as an instrument in painting a future full of hopes and dreams. 

All photography is by Liz Levacy.

Help me go to South Sudan!

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know, I am currently a first year medical student in Fort Worth, TX at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.  My first year is almost over and is proving to be quite a challenging and humbling experience.  I am realizing that giving of my time and efforts to those in need is my priority and my call in life.  This is why I have decided to travel to Africa in June 2012 to help the war displaced and extremely impoverished communities in South Sudan. 

I will be going to South Sudan with East African Ministries, a nonprofit 501c3 organization. 

East African Ministries exists to practically demonstrate the love of Christ and strengthen God’s Kingdom by promoting sustainable solutions for clean water, health care and leadership development to unreached communities in East Africa.  Each project of EAM is designed to reveal Christ’s commitment to the people of East Africa by providing services and support that improve their daily lives, strengthen their communities and empower village churches.   

Over fifty years of violent conflict and political turmoil have left the South Sudanese with practically a non-existent healthcare system.  In a country with an estimated population of ten million, less than 30% have access to healthcare services of any kind.  Because most South Sudanese live in rural communities, many have to walk days to the nearest healthcare center with no guarantee that they will receive treatment.  Women and children are the most vulnerable.  South Sudan has the #1 maternal mortality rate in the world.  A 15 year old girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than complete school.  Equally as shocking as this is the lack of healthcare knowledge among the communities.  Most have lived the majority of their lives in refugee camps during the war and are unfamiliar with basic health and sanitation practices.  As a result, a large percentage of the population dies from preventable diseases. 

Mobile Health International is the team that I will be serving with while in South Sudan.  Our main focus in all that we do will be to use each outreach as a means of sharing the gospel with the community through one on one discipleship, bible studies, and worship services.  Along with this we will be providing immunizations and basic medical healthcare.  Our education training will focus on sanitation and hygiene, maternal health, malaria prevention, HIV and AIDS prevention and the importance of clean water. 

I am embarking on this journey because I want a chance at spreading my faith to others through discipleship and healthcare.  I have been so blessed in my life that I want to share all that I have been given with the poor in these communities.  I want to see families smile with hope.  I want to see mothers live to raise their children.  I want to see lives changed through the hope found in God’s love.  This is why I am asking you to prayerfully consider sponsoring me in this mission.  Any donation is appreciated.  My fundraising goal is $3,500.00 to serve for one month in South Sudan.  This money will go towards my traveling expenses as well as providing some healthcare and clothing supplies to take to the communities.  If you choose to make a tax-deductible donation to my mission, you can donate online through my fundraising page: Help Pilar go to South Sudan!.  You can also donate by a check made payable to Mobile Health International.  The mailing address is:

The Radler Foundation

3131 West 7^th Street, Suite 400

Fort Worth, TX 76107

Please include my full name (Pilar McKay) on any donation made.  All proceeds are tax deductible and directly benefit my trip.  I completely understand if you cannot donate at this time.   I just ask that you please keep our team and the communities in South Sudan in your prayers this summer!

I appreciate you taking the time to read this letter and considering making a donation to such a great cause.  I will be updating my blog and fundraising page with details about my upcoming trip and how I am doing on my fundraising goal! 

Thank you for the support and prayers!

My favorite time of year: Lent

Yes it's been a while again.  As much as I try to make free time....it doesn't always happen.  Bear with me. 

It's that time of the year again...LENT!! Love these 40 days of prayer and fasting.  It seriously is my favorite time of year.  I think it's the hope that it brings.  It always gets me back on track.  More prayer and more focus on my relationship with Christ.  He is the only one that I can depend on to get me through any situation.  Family/friends are great, but eventually they will disappoint you no matter what.  It's just a fact.  We are all sinners with one perfect God who alone is capable of mending our hearts.  It's during Lent that I fall back in love with my Savior.  It really is a beautiful love story that He has written on the hearts of all humanity.  A sacrificial love.  A selfless love.  An all consuming love.  True love. 

This year I have chosen a theme: Discerning the Single Life

Reason for my theme?
It's been something that has been tugging at me for quite some time.  If I am called to single life, I want it to be by choice, not default.  I am an introspective person.  I am very conscious as to why I make certain decisions and what truly makes me happy.  This is a blessing just as much as it is a curse.  So here goes my mini self-analysis....

I like my alone time.  I can't be around people 24/7.  I get tired of people fairly fast and end up frustrated/annoyed/you name it.  Sure I'll go on dates...1, 2, maybe even 3.  After that it gets a little tricky for me.  It turns out guys can get clingy.  I don't handle that well/at all.  It's a suffocating feeling for me.  When I decide to take a guy up on a date, more often than not I regret it the next day.  My thought process: "I'm so behind with school now...I could have gotten more sleep...I've been needing to run these errands, etc."  It just doesn't seem worth it.  I don't have much energy for it either.  Dating is exhausting to me.  It really is.  I don't care for it too much.  Give me friends to hang out with any day...but getting to know a friend in a new romantic way?? Ugh...no thanks.  Yes I probably sound ridiculous, but it is what it is.  Maybe a stage in life...who knows. 

I like my life.  I like being able to do what I want to do, whenever I want to do it.  It works for me.  It's comfortable.  Single life is appealing to me. Yes it's not what most 20-something y/o Catholic girls say.  Sometimes I feel bad because it seems selfish.  I have to remember though that as a single person I can change so many lives.  I was blessed with a passion to change people's hearts.  It is something that I truly believe I am called to do through medicine and my faith. 

So for the next 40 days (at least) I am going to actively NOT date anyone.  I am going to remove myself from any emotional/romantic feelings towards anyone.  In order to prayerfully discern this vocation, I have to do it without any bias.  I'm excited.  It will just be me and God trying to figure this out.  I might not get an answer...but I trust that He will guide me in the right direction.  I just need to listen. 

What's going to help me discern?

1. Deleting Facebook
I've been contemplating this for some time.  I really don't use facebook for anything useful.  It merely lets me 'keep in touch' with people that I might not see.  By 'keep in touch' I mean look at their page.  Sad reality.  I also tend to make up situations in my head that might not be true...just based on things I see on facebook.  It's unhealthy to say the least.  I'm tired of it.  It is a breeding ground for drama and rumors and I'm done.  So it's now gone. 

2. Daily Mass
 I need to put God first in my daily life.  Right now what plans my day is my workout.  Everything else is planned around that hour.  Not the best choice.  By going to daily mass, I am hoping it will help me depend more on Him.  I am looking for clarity.  So I am going to the source of all truth. 

So that's what I'm doing for Lent this year.  It will be hard, but I know it will be worth it. 

Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns

New horizons

My 1st semester of medical school at TCOM ended yesterday.  No words can describe how relieved I am.  It has been a long, tiring, and rewarding 5 months. Medical school is only as hard as you make it out to be.  You can either study enough to pass or try to memorize/understand everything possible and get hardly any sleep.  Guess which category I fall into?  Yeah...the Type A typical medical student.  Now how did all that go this semester??

Quite well.  When I look back at it all...I have no right to complain/worry...but yet I have some reservations.  You will see why soon.

A quick summary of my semester:

Block 1: Cell Science (6 weeks)
Block 2: Musculoskeletal System (6 weeks)
Block 3: Nervous System (5 weeks)
Block 4: Cardiopulmonary System (4 weeks)
All semester: Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
All semester: Clinical Medicine/Interviewing/Ethics/Community Resources

I learned a lot this semester.  I performed my first head to toe physical exam and interview.  I learned a lot about sports-specific injuries through working with different physicians.  I learned how to read lots of different EKGs.  I was presented with my first geriatric 'patient'.  I learned how to cast arms and ankles.  I learned lots of different manipulative (manual) therapy techniques to use as alternative/complementary treatment for patients.  Like I said...I learned a lot.  I also made all A's...except in my last cardio block.  Missed a 4.0 this semester by 3 points.  Unfortunately disappointment was where I was at when grades came in. 

I am hard on myself because I know I can achieve my goals if I work hard enough.  It has always worked for me so  I have come to embrace this critical part of myself.  I maintained this mentality throughout this semester.  I worked into the early morning hours.  I worked all night without sleep sometimes.  I spent 14+ hours studying most days.  I did not eat well.  I did not exercise consistently like I'm used to (partly knee problems).  I did not make time for family or friends.  I did not make my faith a priority.  I just studied.  Day after day.

I know I am in medical school and I don't have a problem motivating myself to study most days.  I want to be the best doctor I can be.  Does that mean a 4.0 must be my #1 priority?  I'm starting to realize that grades are not the only things that make a great doctor.  An all-around compassionate, educated, professional individual who can interact and care for another human being is more important.  Also, grades/board scores are specific for each field you go into.  Wanna-be surgeons must have the top scores to get into a good residency.  I have decided (thus far) that the life of a surgeon is not for me.  Although I find it awesome and exhilarating, my heart is with patient care in clinic.  I also would like a family.  How many female married orthopaedic surgeons do you know without a dysfunctional family?? I'll stop there. 

Medical school is a big part of my life.  However, it is not my whole life.  My goals for next semester look a little different than those for this semester. 

I will take care of myself.
I will make time everyday to pray.
I will make more time for family and friends. 
I will let go of control a bit...


This post is kind of a big deal for me because I'm afraid of losing respect.  Why? I don't quite know.  I'd like to think that I work hard at what I do...only to fall short most times.  This is frustrating to me because I'm not in control of the situation. NEWSFLASH! I am not in control of anything, God is.  More trust, less control.

A beautiful friend reminded me of this: "God is closest to those with broken hearts," and "By seeing the seed of failure in every success, we remain humble. By seeing the seed of success in every failure we remain hopeful.”

Medical school humbles me day in and day out.  So much I don't know.  So much I can't grasp.  So many smart/caring people.  I am just in the midst of it all, not above not below.

Despite all of the realizations today, I know I'm immensely blessed and will always be grateful :)

So now 2 weeks off to spend with family and friends :) Pure bliss.  I will soak up every second of it.  Excited.





 

He gets all the credit

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.

 

Blessed John Paul II

World Youth Day, August 2000