José is sick :-(

Yesterday, about 1:00 PM, José, our best worker, came and told Juan he was in pain and needed to go home.  We took him to his house and gave him L100 (about $5.00 USD) in case he went to the ER.  When we called to check on him he said the ER doctor referred him to the hospital in Tocoa because there is no surgeon in Trujillo.  Tocoa is about an hour away by car, about two hours away by bus, over some of the worst roads you will ever see. 

My SIL, Magda, is a nurse in Tocoa, so Macho Man called her.  She says there is only one surgeon on Tocoa, and he is on vacation.  The next nearest surgeon is in La Ceiba, about 3 hours by car,  4-6 by bus, depending on which bus you take.  I think the best deal is for us to put down the back seats in the Xterra and take him ourselves. We'll see.

When Juan called about 9 PM, José told him the pain was coming back, but he was going to try and ride it out until Monday, when the surgeon gets back off vacation.  I am really afraid this young man has a hernia, and I am not sure he can wait until Monday.

If José needs surgery, he will need to stay off work for 4-6 weeks.  We will continue to pay at least a part of his salary so his wife and child won't do without.  We are trying to figure out how to work around him, so we can continue with the construction.  For sure, he will have a job when he is able to return to work.

The next time you want to complain about long waits at the doctor's office, stop and be thankful that you have a doctor close by, not six hours away.  If you need surgery, most likely your need can be met at your local hospital.  If you need to go to another hospital for treatment, and it is far away, most likely you will be transported by ambulance, not told to take the bus for a six hour trip. 

I ask you to pray for José.

Americans are blessed