Guatemala March 2014 - Expectations

It's difficult to imagine what you might encounter when you go to a country that you've never been to  before. Like most tourists, I was concerned about weather and insects and animals. But I wasn't going as a tourist. I was going as a volunteer with Wheelchairs for Kids International (WFKI) to provide pediatric wheelchairs to children with physical disabilities.
 
CNN Hero, Brad Blauser is the founder of WFKI. He was nominated as a CNN Hero in 2009. When he was in Iraq as a civilian contractor, Brad, through donations, provided 1345 wheelchairs to children in Iraq. Many of the children had disabilities that were never diagnosed as physicians were hard to come by. Most of the children lived in isolation and never experienced the joys of playing with their peers or going to school. The trip to Guatemala was his first distribution to Guatemala and his first since he established his new non-profit.
 

How I Got Involved..

It has been a few years since I began communicating with Brad. I think I reached out to him when I saw articles about his efforts in Iraq. I am a Marine Corps veteran and my husband was serving in Iraq as an Marine Corps Officer (now retired). I was working for the Department of Defense in the disability field. I couldn't fathom the hardships these children and their families were going through.  I knew my life was challenging with my own son (an adult with autism and an intellectual disability) but it didn't compare to the challenges these children and families had. I began with sending donations, and in January, 2014, I stepped up and committed volunteer time to WFKI. It wasn't long before I received a message from Brad about going to Guatemala and I jumped at the opportunity.

Meeting Brad

I was nervous about flying to Guatemala. I knew the time we had to meet in Guatemala City but that was about all I had. I decided it would be best if I tried to connect in Dallas with Brad and take the same flight he was on to Guatemala. It worked out perfectly. We made friends quickly. I was introduced to his mother and one of his brothers and, of course, his beloved dog.  

While we were waiting for our flight we chatted about his experiences in Iraq and the wheelchairs.  The flight was uneventful and I managed to get a short nap. From Dallas it only took a few hours. We didn't sit together on that flight. It was probably just as well because I fidget and tend to chat a lot when I'm nervous! I wasn't nervous about meeting him, however, I was a bit nervous about going to Guatemala. I wondered if I should've bought a mosquito net, picked up malaria pills or got the shots that I thought I needed. Everything was so last minute. Next time I'll be better prepared (I could've really used the mosquito net!). As we flew over Guatemala I was struck by the darkness below. There were a few fires that I could see. I wished were weren't flying at night.

Arriving in Guatemala

Airports are pretty much the same wherever you go. We collected our luggage and stepped outside. There was a lot of people waiting for arriving passengers behind a barrier. Brad scanned the mass and found Matt Richard from Hope Haven. It was a relief to make that connection. Matt showed us the vehicles we were traveling in and we went back to the airport exit to connect with the other group who would be joining us on this joint venture with Hope Haven Guatemala - 2 Professors and a group of OT & PT students from the University of Missouri. One of the students, Tom, used a wheelchair. It was interesting to watch the Guatemalans' surprised looks when the wheelchair lift came down and Tom rolled on.

I think it took about an hour to reach the Hope Haven Guest House in Xenacoj. The Guatemalan's drive on the right side of the road. Most of the roads were in excellent repair, however the side road to get to Hope Haven's Guest House was a dusty bumpy mess because they were working on it. The road was flanked with farms and stray dogs ran around the area looking for a friendly encounter or their next meal..