Pan American Health Service's News

After watching them grown through the years, our hearts were filled with pride and great joy to witness Patty, Ana Elsi and Dinora receive their university degrees in Nursing. Ana Elsi completed her degree with a thesis to become a licenced nurse. Having achieved her dream of becoming a profesional nurse she is now joining our work team at Servicio Panamericano de Salud (PAHS Honduras). Meanwhile Patty and Dinora will return to their university in Costa Rica, UNADECA, to complete their degree to be licenced nurses also. We are deeply grateful to all our supporters who have made this great achievement possible for our girls! A special thanks to those who sponsored their scholarships Mend a Child Foundation, Dr. Larry & Jean LaClair, Paul & Sheryl Selivanoff, Dr. Carlos & Graci Japas and John Beldin.

Seventy students graduated from the Dr. Stephen Youngberg Technical Vocational School on December 6. The graduation ceremony took place in the lovely facilities of the local university campus of Universidad Cristiana Nuevo Milenio. The graduates received certifications and diplomas in Auto Mechanics, Sewing, Wood Carving, Wood Working and the EDUCATODOS program – 6th and 9th grades. The joy and pride of the students and families was a pleasure to behold and it fills the PAHS team with great satisfaction to know that we are helping to break the cycle of poverty through education.

It is a great source of joy to witness the graduation of 6 of our young people! Thanks to our alliance with the Mend-a-Child Foundation, PAHS has the honor of seeing Josue, Johana, Yeimi, Stephany, Gaby and Yini receive their secondary school diplomas on 24 de Noviembre from Centro Educacional Adventista. They are now eligible to enter University in search of their dreams. Josue will pursue a degree in theology, while all the girls wish to pursue careers in the medical professions:  Johana and Stephany want to be nurses; Yeimi wants to be a dentist and Yini wants to be physician. We are sure they have what it takes to succeed in their chosen fields!

Christmas arrived a month early for the little ones of our Casita Feliz Nutritional Rehab Program thanks to a group of employees from two different HSBC locations, one in San Pedro Sula – Primera Avenida – and the other of Villanueva. This generous and loving team of givers – some of whom brought their own children along – shared presents and supplies along with a wonderful spirit of joy and love. Seated around the Central Plaza’s Christmas Tree the children’s faces lit up as one by one they were called by name to receive a beautifully wrapped gift. The fun continued with a hot lunch and a delicious cake which the team served the little ones. It was a lovely and unforgettable gesture of love which filled our hearts with gratitude and happiness!

A partnership of CARE and Cargill of Honduras in support of a group of Agriculturist in various development programs made a generous donation of food and produce to PAHS/Servicio Panamericano de Salud in an event which took place on Friday November 8 on our campus. It was a time to get acquainted and to become familiarized with the work to expand and support agriculture in Honduras and for our benefactors to see first-hand what PAHS does to support the most vulnerable of the population.  The donated food items will be used in our Nutrition and Home programs. We are grateful to each of these groups for their great generosity and for being socially responsible companies that share of their bounty with our children!

Johana, Josue, Yeimi and Gaby completed their professional practicum or internships after finishing their course of study for secondary school which included a technical specialty in computers. The young people spent six weeks at different companies in San Pedro Sula, learning about what it takes to be a professional on a team and to be a part of the work force. They were successful in meeting their objectives and received good reviews and a few even had invitations to join the permanent staff. We are proud of each of them for setting a high standard and for the great impression they left at their respective places of practice.

Maria de Los Angeles (Mary of the angels) is a fitting name for this young woman – the single mother of two boys, ages 6 and 15 – who probably did not imagine that her life could change so much from one day to the next. Thanks to some “angels” disguised as physicians who showed up in a medical team in the small mountain community where her mother lives, Angela received a second-chance at life in May 2012. First examined by Dr. Gretchen Whisenant of the CTMC medical team, Angela explained she had seen many specialists and had undergone multiple tests and all assured her she did not have a chance to live long because of thyroid cancer that had spread and grown throughout her neck and upper chest. Dr. Gretchen’s husband, Dr. Dewey Whisenant, envisioned this young mother having a good prognosis if she could have the appropriate treatment and together the Whisenants came up with a plan to support Angela in fighting for her life. With the assistance of PAHS and Central Texas Medical Center a team of volunteers from the CTMC May Mission Team put together a larger support system to have Angela travel to San Marcos, TX for a life-saving surgery. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to witness this miracle.

The Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) arrived with a well organized Medical Team for the second time this year in October 2012. Teaming up with PAHS/Servicio Panamericano de Salud, they treated over 1,500 people during the week in four communities: San Antonio de Cortés, Concepción del Sur, Canculunco and Peña Blanca. The 18 professionals that made up this team traveled back to their homes in Texas happy to have had an experience of serving those in need and making new friendships.

September 15 is a special date for our country, Honduras, as well as for all the Central American countries as it commemorates Independence Day.  This is why our children dressed in patriotic fervor, took to the streets in an organized parade hosted by their school to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day.  Set to the cadence of their school’s Marching Band our children of all ages participated in different squads all with the intent to commemorate this special season as they wore the pride of their country on their faces, pride at being born in such a beautiful nation as Honduras!

The month of September provides many opportunities for fun to our children. Besides the excitement building up to the Independence Day parades mid-month, September 10 is a day set aside to celebrate children. Piñatas, sweets, games, gifts and many visitors were all part of the Child’s Day celebrations on our campus this year for the children of the Casita Feliz as well as the Homes.  It is a special time set aside to recognize the love and joy that these special gifts of God bring to our World!