Heather Latter
Not only is Jody Hamilton looking to gain personal experience by volunteering this spring in Nicaragua, she’s also hoping to make a difference in the lives of the people who live there.
“I know they really look forward to having different medical team members come in to help,” noted Hamilton, who lives in Atikokan and is a full-time paramedic with Superior North EMS and a casual paramedic with Rainy River District EMS.
She will be taking two months off from her positions here, leaving April 2 to offer her medical abilities at Hospital Regional Santiago in the town of Jinotepe.
The facility is one of the biggest hospitals in the southwest Pacific area of Nicaragua, catering to several local communities and other cities.
Hamilton said most of its patients come from extremely poor areas and sometimes, due to the lack of resources, people have to wait months before being taken care of.
While in Nicaragua, she will be able to provide health care and give medication to patients, diagnose illnesses and assess needs based on those diagnoses, help in the emergency room that provides treatment for a variety of problems and illnesses, and help perform minor and major surgeries.
She also will attend to the seriously ill and wounded, provide pre- and post-natal care and help perform C-sections, and assist patients with orthopedic care.
Hamilton will be doing all this through a not-for-profit organization called Volunteer Abroad, which is owned by the Canadian Federation of Students.
“I was talking to a friend who worked at an orphanage there and began looking at the website,” Hamilton explained.
“The next day I applied to go.”
That was back at the beginning of December. Two weeks later, she had all the arrangements made and was certain she had made the right choice.
“I’m still young, not married, and don’t have kids, the time is right,” she reasoned, noting she is ready to experience something different.
“I’m always looking for a change, a way to further my education, and I love to travel.”
But instead of merely sight-seeing, Hamilton said she wants to experience a different way of life and to help those in need.
Hamilton will be staying at a base camp about a 10-minute walk from the hospital. She knows she will be washing her clothes in the river and that they usually run out of water by mid-day.
“I’m prepared for this, and eager to see the different living and working quarters,” she enthused.
“I want to get the feel of what it’s really like to live there.”
Although she will be learning Spanish while there, only one or two people working at the hospital speak English. She is particularly worried about dealing with medical terminology in another language.
Hamilton will be paying her own way to go on this volunteer excursion and has committed to raising at least $4,500 in donations for her medical insurance, food, flight, and living.
As such, she is looking for organizations and district residents to offer monetary donations to help her provide assistance to the people in Nicaragua.
Donations of medical and surgical equipment also will be accepted—providing it isn’t too bulking to travel with.
“I’m hoping that people who donate will feel that they can experience it with me,” Hamilton remarked, noting she will be doing a weekly online blog and will make presentations about the trip upon her return.
“Some people aren’t in a position to do something like this right now and I think they could value from by experience,” she added.
Hamilton has set up a Facebook group that anyone can join called “Central America.” She plans to provide updates there each week, too.
“It’s going to be an experience of a lifetime,” she enthused. “I’m really excited for this opportunity.
“The more I read about Nicaragua, the more I know that I’m going to love it.”
An account for the purpose of raising funds for Hamilton’s trip has been set up through the CIBC. People wishing to make a donation can do so with the following information: Transit #00297, Account #73-14531, Bank #010.
Posters and donation jars also are located at businesses across the district.
Hamilton can be contacted via e-mail at Jodyh24@hotmail.com or by cell phone at 1-705-646-5215.
