Dysphagia book

Those of you who have followed a bit more closely the Vozandes-aspect of my ministry here in Quito would appreciate knowing (I do believe) that, in addition to the team that has been trained at Hospital Vozandes - Quito, we will now have (in the next 4-6 weeks) a published book that sets up the rules for play for the program!

One of the hardest challenges I´ve faced in the past few years has been resisting the pressure (from SO many sides) to simply provide dsyphagia services -- although this specialized profession does not exist in this country,,,, so there have been no rules for conduct, decision-making, training (academic or clinical), vocabulary -- and the list goes on. So as I was chipping away at living the example and training Paty and Karla, I was also documenting all of my own decisions, rationale, protocols, clinical hours, plans, etc. and turning them in to my hospital authorities (to protect all of us). Dysphagia is a medical diagnosis, and one that affects both breathing and nutrition -- so if a therapist doesn´t know what he/she is doing, somebody can get hurt. And in my case, Ecuador´s opinion of the service depended entirely on what they saw from me... so I researched, and studied, and documented. And now, through an incredible turn of events, it´s a book.

Together with my medical friends at Vozandes, we are pushing for the ETHICAL and God-fearing practice of this new profession in Ecuador. We are emphasizing personal and professional responsibility to patients, through excellency in practice. Communication and teamwork are an essential part of good dysphagia practice, and this requires something that the majority of professional Ecuatorians are missing --- willingness to collaborate instead of compete.... (to be honest, I don´t believe that´s only Ecuador --- but God gave me this responsibility here, so here is where I´m tackling it.) And there are MANY well-respected and established Ecuatorian doctors who have worked side-by-side with me over these last (almost) 6 years, who are cheering this project on. They not only want this new program,,, they really want excellence in service provision. They really lack academic and professional support (that we are SO blessed with in the States) for actually carrying it out.

For those who worked directly with patients alongside of me, I had the chance to model my own dependence on God´s wisdom and leading for each and every patient who came our way. It slowed things down tremendously, but resulted in a wonderful comprehension of our work, patients´needs, and accountability. And they saw how God turned obstacles into footstools, and enemies into friends --- through simple prayer --- all the way through. They decide now if they want to seek God´s face in their continued growth, or if they think they should handle it on their own. Please pray for the whole team, as they´ll struggle with all kinds of emotions like pride, effects of fame (they´re getting patients from all over Ecuador,,, and being recruited by other hospitals),, and will have to consciously decide their motivation for continuing on. Sometimes blessings are harder to handle than sadnesses.

I´m excited for this book to be published, as it should shift attention from my person, directly to the profession itself. And I pray that it helps the team to solidify, get its bearings, and decide when and how to advance in the subject. In its minimum function, it will be a safety net for Karla and Paty in their daily practice, whether they advance any further or not.

As for me, God apparently has me on the sidelines since last November - with the start of the "book" (I would have written sooner about it if I understood then what was happening), in a sort of "language school" until September --- advancing my Spanish language to university/post-grad language level. (All that when I was thinking of signing up for a course!) I´ve had personal training through the book editing alongside of Dr. Vallejo, and have been translating medical documents. Eventually, I may have the opportunity to be paid for it. It´s quite an opportunity,,, and most likely means that He´s not finished with me yet on the subject!! And there´s a pending trip to Chile in the fall to connect with a dysphagia therapist there (who does research, and is linked to one of their wonderful universities). We´ll see how God works that all together.

Many more possibilities in the works, but since they are so many, and involve many other people and variables, prefer to simply ask for general prayer on that count, at which point, I´d be happy to share when God has given me clear vision on those counts.

Pray each of you sees God in little and big ways every single day.
love in christ,
michelle