As a little girl, Charlene "Char" Cioe was hospitalized for many long weeks. Through her experiences during hospitalization, Char became inspired by the nurses who cared for her. “They were so caring,” she said. As a child, and as she matured, Char continued to think of nursing as the perfect career choice.
Today, Char Cioe is Critical Care/Emergency Services director at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital. Char is very dedicated to her patients and the hospital which, this year, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. She is also committed to patients on a worldwide basis as well.
In February 2005, Char used her vacation time for a ten-day medical mission trip to Belize. A team of volunteer physicians, nurses, paramedics, physical therapists, and lay persons spent six days in 11 villages and treated a total of 2,293 patients. Of course, preparations for such a mission began months in advance.
On December 26, 2004, the killer tsunami ravaged South Asia, bringing destruction and heartbreak to incalculable numbers of people. The massive global relief efforts that followed that dreadful day were necessary and heroic, certainly, but the aid depleted the availability of donated supplies for the team’s mission trip.
The mission team realized they would have to come up with a new plan for supplies. In addition to paying for airfare and other personal expenses, Char and the other participants paid out of pocket for many supplies and medications. But creativity was at work here! Local pharmacies helped by offering sizable discounts on aspirin, vitamins, and other medications, all of which were close to expiration. Other items were purchased frugally and in bulk at the dollar store, such as books and toys—anything to brighten the lives of the children of the villages.
Upon arriving in Belize, the mission group split into two teams of six to seven members. Each group consisted of one physician, a few nurses, and a paramedic, physical therapist, or lay person. Both teams set up traveling medical clinics in various villages. At the clinics, a variety of illnesses were treated, the most common being asthma, flu, colds, after-effects of strokes, and gynecological problems.
Char recalls, “One family came with a feverish baby swaddled tightly in several layers of blankets. Just by unwrapping the child, her temperature went from 106 degrees to 104 degrees. Other cooling procedures prevented the baby from certain seizure. After the crisis passed, we tried to educate the child’s parents about the proper care for a fever. Unfortunately, we battled generations of incorrect advice, so I’m not sure the baby’s family believed us.”
Char's team also diagnosed a dangerous medical condition in a seemingly healthy-looking seven-year-old. The child’s family stated that occasionally the young girl had breathing problems. Since she looked and acted perfectly fine, the nurse asked her to perform a brief exercise. Almost immediately, the child turned blue. The team diagnosed the child with a heart problem and arranged for her care in a more appropriate medical facility.
Not all ailments could be attended to by the medical clinic. One child came in with “the biggest tonsils I had ever seen in my entire career!” said Char. This child was sent to the hospital for surgery.
The camaraderie felt through the touching moments and caring for the sick bonded the medical team into family. Each stays close through e-mails. “A mission of this magnitude is very exhausting, but rewarding both spiritually and professionally,” Char said.
Ginny Richardson is a contract writer for Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital.
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