By Courtney Graetzer
Nurses have the rewarding job of healing the mind, body, and soul of their patients, and
sometimes their patients do the same for them. This was especially true for Serena Noinala, Joey
Balog, Saili Kline, and Jessica Decess, four registered nurses from Boston, Atlanta and Denver
whose lives were touched after their international clinics trip to India with Project C.U.R.E. After
an exhausting journey of over 40 hours, these four nurses met in state of Mizoram in northwest
India, in a town called Aizawl, a seemingly forgotten village that was built on cliff walls.
They would endure rough terrain on their commutes, even driving over a tenuous site from an
old mudslide. And their job at hand was no small feat: hundreds of patients lined up at their free
medical clinic, and for four days they triaged, performed wound care, drew labs, and provided
point-of-care testing.
But these nurses would not have traded the experience for the world.
The team formed an instant connection upon arrival at the airport, which only grew deeper
through their shared experience of helping the people who desperately need their skills. Saili
remembered spending two hours treating a little girl who had terrible mouth sores from a typhoid
infection, and took pride in how much better her mouth looked after her care. “Her mouth looked
so much better and she felt the relief of the scabs being gone,” Saili says. Jess was touched after
seeing a woman carrying her injured husband on her back to get treated at the clinic. “She was
the primary care-giver for the family, while doing the farm work,” Jess says, “The weight of
seeing that was really heavy.”
Despite all the hardship around her, Serena reminisced about patients being extremely grateful
just to receive a simple ibuprofen to treat their pain. Being southeast Asian, Serena was able to
form a strong cultural connection to the patients she was treating. “She’s being modest,” Joey
laughed, “She was so sweet to them and basically had celebrity status.”
Joey, who was head and shoulders taller than most of the people there, also seemed to be a
celebrity. He remembered multiple people asking to take a picture with him, including a girl with
special needs who called him “Mount Everest.”
Making these connections not only with each other, but with the patients they were caring for
was a humbling and humanizing experience. Their patients overwhelmed them with
appreciation, as they seemed happy just to be seen by a healthcare professional – by someone
who cares. One dedicated patient they treated at the clinic traveled hours by bus to a larger town
just to get a recommended chest x-ray, and then traveled all the way back to the clinic the next
day to show them. Dedication to better healthcare became contagious, and our nurses were the
catalysts.
“[The trip] was so rewarding as a nurse,” Joey says, “I can’t describe how thankful I am for this
opportunity.”
“Everyone is so grateful that you really feel like you make a difference,” Serena agrees, “It’s
addicting!” For them, this trip was indeed addicting. Saili, Jess, Joey, and Serena already plan on
participating in another Project C.U.R.E clinics trip to Ghana next September, and they are
beyond excited!
If you are a healthcare professional with a love of travel and a desire to offer your valuable skills
to people who need it the most, check out our International Clinics Trips here.
The post Clinic Story: Four Nurses Found Friendship and Gratitude in India with Project C.U.R.E appeared first on Project CURE.
