Siete

This is it. The end. Finito.

Hospital Carrion, Lima, Peru, was an amazing experience. The day began with our typical breakfast in the hospital cafeteria. I have actually grown to really like the Peruvian style of coffee.

It starts as a dark espresso type sludge that you then water down. I liked it thick. Yummm.

We started with the patients, just as we did the day before. Nearly all patients donned their prosthesis and began working with our PT duo as Al + I did some touch ups and follow ups.

The patients were amazing. Just as the previous day, they began to move about the PT gym, exploring their new found was to move.

Since it was the last day, there was loads of picture taking, hugs. More pictures and more hugs. "Uno mas" was the phrase for the last couple days, simply meaning, one more. One more picture, one more hug, one more moment with new friends on the other side of world.

Around 1pm the patients, some hospital and rehab staff gathered together for a celebration. The head hospital administrator, Dr. Mary, Mani and Hernando all did their best through a flood of smiles, hugs, handshakes and of course tears, to muster words of praise, thankfulness, joy and hope.

The ceremony was followed by a wonderful spread of pisco sours, cerviche, choclo, inka cola, little cookies, and pastries. And as you can imagine, many many more hugs and photos.

You'd think this was the end... ;-)

The crowd began to disperse. We began to pack up our supplies. Pat was giving amazing shoulder rubs in our work room. You can see from the pic, Andy's body was not quite as malleable as it should be.

Karen was presented and wonderful ;) present of a sort of paper mache rooster....ooo, this was the hot gift.

We traveled back to the hotel to shower and gather our luggage. Made our way to the airport for our Red-eye flight. Just outside the terminal, nearly all of the patients, and Dr. Mary were there to see us of....for uno mas.

By the numbers.

10 - spine surgeries performed by Andy
13 - prosthetic legs fabricated and fit
1 - arm
20 - patients serviced
60 - PT treatments to Non-prosthetic patients in Hospital Carrion. And THEN they came to help us ;)
1000-10000...hugs.
10 - number of minutes from wherever we are, to wherever we were going, according Hernando. Usually more like 30-90
6 - Aliases for Mani, Issue-boy, sir, Indian-Peruvian-Irish John Wayne, Dr. Loco, the Ventillian Cowboy movie start. Dr. Wuss
2 - aliases for Andy...David of Md. + The God Father.
1 - impromptu chorus of "walking on sunshine" in both English and Spanish
We've touched down in Hot-lanta. It's nice to be back on American soil. I miss my family, my friends.

Even more so, I feel privileged to have been on this trip. I have some amazing new friends in Karen, Pat, Mani and Andy, and even more so with Al, not mention the

We'll see you all soon.

Adios.
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