Waves for Water

In keeping with my love for the ocean, the surfing community and my passion for helping others I thought it would be nice to take a moment to talk about an organization that does some pretty amazing things. 

The organization: Waves for water

Their mission: It is simple. To get clean water to every single person who needs it.  

Their current project hits close to home for me. As most of you know Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast late October of last year, leaving many surf-based communities in New Jersey and New York completely devastated. Waves for water normally focuses on clean water, but this project focuses on initial survival needs, from first responder assistance to rubble removal and rebuilding efforts. They will be focusing primarily on the surf-based coastal communities in Jersey and New York to start. The hope is that the Waves for Water effort will be a vessel for the global surf community to directly help fellow surfers in need of help along the east coast.

To donate to this project: http://www.wavesforwater.org/project/hurricane-sandy-relief-initiative 

Don't want to donate? No worries. Check them out anyway: 
http://www.wavesforwater.org/about

No blog post would be complete without some pictures.

Here are a few pics I took during tonight's sunset session in La Jolla.

Habitat for Humanity

This morning 15 of my amazing co-workers, all ICU nurses from UCSD, met in Imperial Beach to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. "San Diego Habitat for Humanity, a faith-based organization, works in partnership with families to strengthen communities and transform lives by building new homes, rehabilitating existing homes, and making affordable homeownership a reality for people in need in our community." 
(taken from http://www.sdhfh.org/AboutUs/OurMission.aspx) 

San Diego Habitat for Humanity is currently working on a project located on Florida St. in Imperial Beach. This project includes 4 single family homes that are due to be completed by June of 2013. 

As ICU nurses we are familiar with the feeling of exhaustion. We work long hours and our job can be really stressful, but today I think we all gained an amazing appreciation for the art of HARD labor. Habitat for Humanity has a name for this hard labor. They call it "sweat equity." In fact, in order to be selected for home ownership each family must volunteer a minimum of 250-500 hours of "sweat equity". Most of this "sweat equity" is earned working on the very home that will some day be theirs. Other criteria is based on the families need for improved housing. This need for housing is determined by many factors including lack of space, overcrowded housing, unsafe living conditions and a dangerous environment.

Not only did we get to help with this amazing project, we also raised $1500 for the organization and got to be on the channel 6 news!! Oh and we all learned some amazing new skills in case we ever want to quit nursing! :)

live on the air with Ruben Galvan

Lisa and I shoveling for the camera

06:20 start time...looking good ladies :)

one of the homes 

drywalling is fun :)

Lisa and I taping and mudding drywall

Molly, Rachel & Halsey painting baseboards

tool shed

Brenna and Michelle mudding corners

Trish and Cassia grouting tile

Cassia cutting tile with a wet saw

Kristina painting ceilings

more mudding...

having fun with the camera crew!

end of the day....exhausted!!

Heartcare International ~ Mission in Lima, Peru

The mission of Heart Care International is to improve the health of children who suffer from congenital heart disease and live in economically challenged countries throughout the world.  We are able to achieve this goal through a two-pronged approach:

• Identify children who would benefit from high technology medical care, including diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization, as well as closed and open heart surgery, and administer life-saving heart procedures to these children in their home countries

• Train host country medical professionals (doctors, nurses, administrative staff, etc.) in cutting-edge surgical, medical, palliative and interventional care techniques such that local physicians will eventually be able to independently provide the same treatments to children in their home country

taken from: http://www.heartcareintl.org/home

I feel blessed to have been chosen to work with this incredible organization.  Our team performed 15 cardiac surgeries at the Instituto de Salud del niño in Lima, Peru.  During this mission I had the opportunity to work with amazing doctors, nurses & respiratory therapists from all over the US. I also had the opportunity to work with and learn from the ICU staff at Instituto de Salud del niño.  An amazing exchange of knowledge between our team and the Peruvian team took place each and every day and it was truly a humbling experience.

All photos taken with my iphone

entrance to the ICU at Instituto de Salud del niño

This is pt V.M. he is an 11 month old male.  He was the only patient that we operated on that still remained in the ICU when our team left Peru.  He had a TET repair on 3/9 that was complicated by seizures and multiple organ failure. He improved on a daily basis and we are hopeful that Pt V will have a good long term outcome.

small right sided pleural effusion 

narcotic regulations are quite a bit different, no keys, no count...just a small plastic box!

our IV pumps

PD dialysis 

Chest tube set-up

Art line set-up

Dr. Enrique

me 

Peruvian nurses hard at work

daily rounds-- Dr. L teaching the Peruvian team

The Peruvian nurses--some of the most amazing nurses I have ever met!

Heartcare team with the Peruvian nurses

taking a break before rounds

The next few pictures were taken while rounding on the floors.  During these rounds we got to interact with the families and the kids who had recently had surgery.  We learned lots about the Peruvian culture and even got to be on Peru t.v. :)  Here are a few photos taken during rounds.  Most of these kids were getting ready to be discharged home.

Nicaragua

"Live in the present moment." You've probably heard this phrase before...seems like a pretty basic concept right?!?! But how often do we truly find ourselves there? More often than not we are caught up in the day to day experiences we call life. We are influenced by others, whether it be positively or negatively and our interactions and experiences with them create "moments." Life is a series of moments so it is important to make each one count....you with me so far??

I find my happiest moments when I am helping others, when I am surrounded by positive energy (i.e. positive people), when I am traveling, when I am surfing, ultimately when I am doing things I enjoy....

I was recently told that I should feel blessed for the experiences that I have had. I am blessed, without a doubt. Traveling has brought me perspective and experience. It has afforded me the opportunity to meet new people, experience new culture and provide nursing care to those less fortunate. It has allowed me to step back from the "day to day" and truly enjoy being present. It has allowed me to create these "moments" that are my life.

This last trip to Nicaragua was amazing. The purpose of this trip was to surf and for me there is no better way to feel present. When I am in the water I am happy, content. I am creating moments that I will remember for years to come. As I reflect upon this year I feel fulfilled. I feel fortunate. I feel blessed.... I can only hope that next year is just as amazing.

Here are a few photos from our trip...enjoy!

atarina

Catarina

View from the top of Christ on the hill

San Juan del Sur

Quality time with the locals

Rad sunsets in San Juan del Sur

The beaches!!!!!!!!!

"The road is long and in the end the journey is the destination."