15 Siouxlanders to deliver medical aid in Peru
By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Thursday, February 01, 2007
When Dr. Cindie Wolff of Akron, Iowa, thinks back to her four trips to the indigenous Iquito tribe in Peru, she centers on Baby Lester.
In her second year on an ecumenical church medical mission, Wolff was speedboating up a tributary of the Amazon River to the final destination. Observing the atypical transport was a mother who had birthed nine children, but only had two still alive in a tribe that experiences 75 percent infant mortality by age 5. She followed, canoeing two days up the river to find Wolff's crew, where she asked for help for Lester, who had pneumonia.
Wolff, who was in Peru with her husband, Dr. David Wolff, said "we treated (Lester) with everything we could, and left not knowing truly whether he would survive."
On returning the next year in 2004 with another mission team, the Wolff's speedboat was again seen by the Iquito mother, who pursued. She presented Lester, who was healthy, Wolff said. She recounted pleasure in "the relationships we built with that family and the trust they built with us ... We all have a very special love for this little boy."
On Feb. 24, 15 Siouxlanders -- 13 from Plymouth and Woodbury county churches and two from Alcester, S.D., -- will head to aid the Iquitos through March 3. The ecumenical church medical mission ties in with the Amazon Medical Missions group, which brings medical care to those living along the Amazon River and its tributaries.
"We are going to do medical care for the indigenous people," Wolff said. Without the medical missions, the Iquito people would never see a doctor in the rain forest.
"It is a huge area with tremendous needs and very few people go there," she said.
The town of Iquito in the Maynas Province is one of 50 indigenous communities in Peru, and the Iquito people living north of there who the Siouxlanders will visit have a hunting-and-gathering existence. "They are very primitive and live day-to-day," Wolff said.
The Siouxland team -- which includes other doctors and nurses -- will fly to Lima, Peru, then take a plane over the Andes Mountains to Iquito. They then boat up an Amazon River tributary 150 miles to a remote village. Wolff said they will deliver basic health care needs, like "treating for parasites, so they can withstand the next virus that comes through," and treating malaria and skin ailments.
Both Wolffs maintain a general family practice at the Akron Mercy Medical Clinic and journeyed to aid Iquitos in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Of the 15 making the trip, five have aided the Iquitos before -- the Wolffs, Dr. Jerry Hagen and his wife Carol Hagen in 2005. Blake Larson of Akron went in 2004 and 2005. They generally go in February, which is a down time for local farmers, and since "this is a great time of need for (Iquitos)," Wolff said.
"We just spend one, very, very full week. It is fun to bring new people who have never done it before. It kind of gets you out of your comfort zone."
The Iquitos speak Spanish. A few mission members like Dr. Hagen are fluent in Spanish, but for those Siouxlanders who need help communicating, interpreters will be along.
The mission members pay their own trip costs, and any donations they receive are used to buy medications. Wolff said they also will purchase food to give to the Iquitos, because the time they are being medically treated is time away from obtaining food for their families.
Akron-Westfield High School senior Lee Hope will be the youngest member of the mission crew.
Hope said, "My sister (Kim Hope, now at Iowa State University) and my mom (Brenda Hope) have both gone down to Peru before. I've been real enthused about it ever since they've been doing it."
He noted some friends can't understand traveling to undertake the medical mission in South America, but said that while "I've never even done anything like this before," he's enthused "to step out of my boundaries and hopefully help people down there."
Hope isn't pursuing a medical career after high school, but said with the Iquitos he's "looking to help out wherever it is needed, to be there for support and help entertain the kids." He said he doesn't need to bone up on Peru geography or the Iquito culture, since his sister "just talks about it all the time."
Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
In her second year on an ecumenical church medical mission, Wolff was speedboating up a tributary of the Amazon River to the final destination. Observing the atypical transport was a mother who had birthed nine children, but only had two still alive in a tribe that experiences 75 percent infant mortality by age 5. She followed, canoeing two days up the river to find Wolff's crew, where she asked for help for Lester, who had pneumonia.
Wolff, who was in Peru with her husband, Dr. David Wolff, said "we treated (Lester) with everything we could, and left not knowing truly whether he would survive."
On returning the next year in 2004 with another mission team, the Wolff's speedboat was again seen by the Iquito mother, who pursued. She presented Lester, who was healthy, Wolff said. She recounted pleasure in "the relationships we built with that family and the trust they built with us ... We all have a very special love for this little boy."
On Feb. 24, 15 Siouxlanders -- 13 from Plymouth and Woodbury county churches and two from Alcester, S.D., -- will head to aid the Iquitos through March 3. The ecumenical church medical mission ties in with the Amazon Medical Missions group, which brings medical care to those living along the Amazon River and its tributaries.
"We are going to do medical care for the indigenous people," Wolff said. Without the medical missions, the Iquito people would never see a doctor in the rain forest.
"It is a huge area with tremendous needs and very few people go there," she said.
The town of Iquito in the Maynas Province is one of 50 indigenous communities in Peru, and the Iquito people living north of there who the Siouxlanders will visit have a hunting-and-gathering existence. "They are very primitive and live day-to-day," Wolff said.
The Siouxland team -- which includes other doctors and nurses -- will fly to Lima, Peru, then take a plane over the Andes Mountains to Iquito. They then boat up an Amazon River tributary 150 miles to a remote village. Wolff said they will deliver basic health care needs, like "treating for parasites, so they can withstand the next virus that comes through," and treating malaria and skin ailments.
Both Wolffs maintain a general family practice at the Akron Mercy Medical Clinic and journeyed to aid Iquitos in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Of the 15 making the trip, five have aided the Iquitos before -- the Wolffs, Dr. Jerry Hagen and his wife Carol Hagen in 2005. Blake Larson of Akron went in 2004 and 2005. They generally go in February, which is a down time for local farmers, and since "this is a great time of need for (Iquitos)," Wolff said.
"We just spend one, very, very full week. It is fun to bring new people who have never done it before. It kind of gets you out of your comfort zone."
The Iquitos speak Spanish. A few mission members like Dr. Hagen are fluent in Spanish, but for those Siouxlanders who need help communicating, interpreters will be along.
The mission members pay their own trip costs, and any donations they receive are used to buy medications. Wolff said they also will purchase food to give to the Iquitos, because the time they are being medically treated is time away from obtaining food for their families.
Akron-Westfield High School senior Lee Hope will be the youngest member of the mission crew.
Hope said, "My sister (Kim Hope, now at Iowa State University) and my mom (Brenda Hope) have both gone down to Peru before. I've been real enthused about it ever since they've been doing it."
He noted some friends can't understand traveling to undertake the medical mission in South America, but said that while "I've never even done anything like this before," he's enthused "to step out of my boundaries and hopefully help people down there."
Hope isn't pursuing a medical career after high school, but said with the Iquitos he's "looking to help out wherever it is needed, to be there for support and help entertain the kids." He said he doesn't need to bone up on Peru geography or the Iquito culture, since his sister "just talks about it all the time."
Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
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