Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Beating of Hearts: One of Christ's Tender Mercies


"The Beating of Hearts: One of Christ's Tender Mercies"
Elder Darrel L. Hammon


The children and their families
What a great experience we had Friday in attending a “closura,” a “handing over” of a specialty piece of heart diagnostic machine to the Centro de Diagnóstico Medicina Avanzada y Telemedicina (CEDIMAT) through one of its foundation, Heart Care Dominicana, Inc.

Elder Cornish, Dr. Toribio, y Dr. Ureña
During the closura, we heard from Dra. Janet Toribio and Dr. Pedro Ureña from the hospital and Elder J. Devn Cornish of the Caribbean Area Presidency. I was impressed with Dr. Toribio’s dedication to help children who have heart challenges. She is a tireless doctor who wants children to be healthy. Elder Cornish, also a doctor, is one of those people who has continuously worked with others to help them progress and grow. His winning smile, willingness to do, and wonderful sense of humor are examples to all of us.
     
Young man and his grandmother
According to the CEDIMAT website, they feel that helping people with scarce resources is “…part of our social responsibility, taking as a fundamental value of solidarity, CEDIMAT provides access to advanced medicine to the people of limited economic resources. Thousands of extreme poverty found in the center the only alternative to save lives or improve their health in the country, performing procedures of high complexity” (http://www.cedimat.com/acerca.php).
           
The youngest heart patient at the event with her mother and father
            

The foundation responsible for helping CEDIMAT obtain the heart diagnostic machine is the Heart Care Dominicana, Inc. (http://www.heartcaredr.org/index_en.html) whose slogan is “Together we make their heartbeat stronger.”
One happy young man

According to their web page, “Heart Care Dominicana Inc. is a non Profit Organization that provides care for indigent patients in need of cardiovascular care. Our mission is to contribute to provide care for patients whose income prevents them from getting the required cardiovascular procedures to lead a healthy life; thus providing a better quality of life for them and their families. Our beneficiaries are evaluated, diagnosed, and treated locally, assuring the quality of treatment, evolution and follow up” (http://www.heartcaredr.org/en/sobre_nosotros.html).      
Young shy one with her parents
   
Probably the most delightful part of the whole event was speaking with the children, the ones who have received medical attention from Dra. Toribio, Dr. Ureña, and their other colleagues who work in the hospital. 

We spoke with all of the children and/or their parents or grandparents who had accompanied them. They were all very cute and willing to chat, except for one little girl who was so shy. Her parents tried to get her to say hello, but she did not want to do it.
The 14-year-old future doctor and Dr. Toribio
One of the touching moments of the events was when I spoke with a 14-year-old young woman who has had heart challenges since she was a little girl. After asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she glanced where Dr. Toribio stood in the front talking with some people, looked at me, and said with conviction, “I want to be a cardiologist.” When I quizzed her about her studies, she told me she was a good student, one of the best in her class.
When I had the opportunity to visit with Dra. Toribio and thank her for what she was doing, I told her about the young woman. I looked where she was still sitting and beckoned her to come forward. Dra. Toribio and she hit it off and began talking about the future. Dra. Toribio gave her some sage counsel about working hard in school.
Young 14-year-old and her mother
Then, she asked the young woman, “Being a cardiologist is hard work and requires a lot of study. Will you work and study hard?”
Without hesitation, the young woman said, “Yes, I will.”
 “Then,” said Dra. Toribio, “we want to help you achieve your goal.” They hugged each other. What a sweet moment with a patient and a doctor, one accomplished and one desiring to accomplish that which the other had accomplished.
Afterwards, I spoke to the young woman and her mother and told her she had just received a promise from a very prominent cardiologist who said she would help her. Now, all was up to her.
              
Young patient and her mother
 

These are the days that make being a missionary so pleasant and so rewarding. Our hope is these young people will take advantage of the help and the counsel they receive.
The heart machine

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