Friday, October 26, 2007


¡¡BIENVENIDOS JOHN Y RITA!!

It was great to see Dr. John Nelson and his wife Rita in Atitlán again. In August 2005, when Hope Alliance of Utah, arrived with a team of surgeons to open the operating room in the old hospital in Panabaj, it was the beginning of a great relationship. Dr. John is an OB/GYN and Rita helps Cristobal in the laboratory. In 2006 hey returned twice for three months each time, to assist in our prenatal clinics and with the emergency cesareans. Yesterday, they arrived with two suitcases packed with much needed medical supplies. They were here in the spring of 2007, and it is great to see their faces again. Utz avech!

Posted by Joel at 4:36 AM | | Comments

Monday, October 22, 2007


Sometimes volunteers contact us, and they are the answer to all of our prayers. A good example would be our volunteer architect, David Schele who has designed the new hospital. Now that the new medical storage building is finished, we need to think of organizing our inventory in the best way possible. Last month, Nicole Seiver contacted us after seeing on the pueblo a pueblo web site that we needed help with inventory. Nicole is from Sydney, Australia and is a "Supply Chain Contractor". She comes with lot's of experience from working with major companies, and is now working with the Hospitalito's administration setting up a computer program that tracks use of medications and supplies. Nicole will be with us for four months, and we are ever so grateful! Any bored hospital construction contractors out there?

Posted by Joel at 4:13 AM | | Comments


SEPTEMBER CATARACT SURGERY SUCCESS Dear Gary and all the Rotarians from the eye clinic, I just want to report that Salvador Ramirez Sosof came in a few days ago. He is overjoyed! He has vision in an eye that was blind for several years now. He can hardly wait to get the cataract removed from the other eye. He is a unique embroidery artist who can now work again. Thank you on his behalf and ours,
David and Susie Glanville PS We are his art patrons. We have at least twenty of his embroidered works, which were getting more and more impressionistic the last few years as his eyesight deteriorated, to the point that only Santa Susanna, my wife, would purchase them.

Posted by Joel at 4:12 AM | | Comments

Friday, October 19, 2007


I was touched by the words of Patricia and Christopher, sponsors of baby Ana Yullisa Too Chiviliu (photo) trough Pueblo a Pueblo’s Mother Infant Sponsorship and I wanted to share them with you.

“I want to tell you why we are glad to support Pueblo a Pueblo. Our oldest daughter is a public health nurse here in the United States and works with many women from Mexico and Central America who have had no health care until the time of the birth of their babies. She knows the importance of prenatal care and medical support at the time of birth. In March, she had severe childbirth complications and would have died if she had not had been in a high-risk hospital. Her complications were rare, and usually fatal. We are very thankful for the doctors and nurses who cared for her through that time.

Our donation to Pueblo a Pueblo is a thank offering to God for sparing her life and the life of her beautiful baby. We know that many women do not have medical care and lose their lives, or their babies do not survive. We hope that our donation will help women have healthy and successful pregnancies!

Please continue to keep us informed of your work!”


Montse Deu.

Pueblo a Pueblo Benefits Coordinator.

Posted by Joel at 3:59 AM | | Comments

Tuesday, October 16, 2007


Hospitalito Atitlán’s friends and supporters can now visualize our dream with the help of volunteer architect David Schele’s drawing enhanced by K’aslimaal board member and artist, Kathy Searle. Click on the picture above for the full size version.

On the left of the drawing is the completed ancillary services building. The leveling of the property is in process and the construction of the retaining wall across the front will begin soon. Soon, the hospital plans will go out for bids. Hopes are for construction of the permanent Hospitalito Atitlán to begin in early 2008.

Posted by Joel at 3:54 AM | | Comments

Monday, October 08, 2007


October 5th, 2007

The celebration and the dedication of the ancillary service building were broadcast live over the "Voz de Atitlán" radio station.

Posted by Joel at 4:20 AM | | Comments


OCTOBER 5th, 2007
Hospitalito Atitlán is built in memory of the victims of Tropical Storm Stan, October 5th 2005, with the help of donors and energy of volunteers to better the health of the people of Atitlán.

Posted by Joel at 4:18 AM | | Comments


OCTOBER 5th, 2007 Architect David Schele arrived from Austin Texas for the celebration.

Posted by Joel at 4:17 AM | | Comments


OCTOBER 5th, 2007 Kathy Roach is a nurse who has been volunteering for us since before the Hospitalito in Panabaj opened. She celebrated the start of construction today with little Diego, whom you may remember reading about on the Pap site immediately after the disaster. Diego (known locally as Rambo) has recovered well from the broken leg he suffered in the disaster. He lost his entire family with the exception of an older sister, with whom he lives.

Posted by Joel at 4:10 AM | | Comments


OCTOBER 5th, 2007 Mayor elect Manuel Reanda joined in the celebration and had words of encouragement for the board of directors, the staff, and the future of healthcare in Santiago Atitlán.

Posted by Joel at 4:07 AM | | Comments


October 5th, 2007 Many activities were planned to remember the tragedy of two years ago. At 8 AM the City organized a walk to Panabaj, where the mayor spoke about the disaster and the many victims. The activities ended at 10 AM, and buses and trucks were waiting to take people from Panabaj, across town, to Xutchaaj, where Hospitalito Atitlán were preparing to begin the construction of the new Hospitalito.

Posted by Joel at 4:05 AM | | Comments

Wednesday, October 03, 2007


On September 22, six members of the Sarasota Rotary Club arrived at Hospitalito Atitlán for a jornada of cataract surgeries. Dra. Caridad Santos and Dr. Miguel Espiritu operated on patients throughout the week. Caridad's husband, Ramon, an OB / GYN was called during the night for two emergency cesareans. Josef Fischer of Club Rotario Norte, in Guatemala City, was very helpful in facilitating the trip and the experience of the physicians, their first visit to Guatemala. We hope that they plan to return!

Hospitalito Atitlán's director Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc with Dr. Ramon Santos, Dra. Caridad Santos, Dorotea Sandland , Gary Sibley, Dr. Alex Sylva of the Eye Center for the University de Valle in Sololá, Dra. Leni Espiritu and Dr. Mike Espiritu.

Posted by Joel at 4:15 AM | | Comments