Aurora nurse on mission of healing and hope in Honduras
In six years of traveling to Honduras on medical missions, Deann Edgers has witnessed numerous "minor miracles" of faith and healing.
Sometimes, though she can't heal the patient, she can bring comfort.
Last month, as medical director of a mission with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Naperville to the barrios of Tegucigalpa, Edgers, a nurse practitioner, went to the home of a man with incurable bone cancer.
The man had bed sores that wouldn't heal, which Edgers cleaned and dressed and showed his wife how to treat. She and her fellow volunteers got the man a new mattress and sheets, and got him in good enough shape that he sat at the table to share a meal with his family for the first time in weeks.
The man died just three days later.
"In the Third World," she said, "nobody can afford narcotics, so people die with a lot of suffering and pain. It was a comfort to know we could make a difference in one person's life, to die peacefully and have some moments with his family without pain."
The mission, in its own building for the first time this year, offers medical, dental, optical and hygiene stations.
Most of the mission's patients are children with parasites, respiratory infections or malnutrition, who can be treated with medication. While their reaction to parasites in the water is not as acute as it can be for tourists, the children can have chronic problems with it. Some people have more serious ailments that are undiagnosed, like diabetes and hypertension.
The trip is sponsored by World Gospel Outreach. The two dozen volunteers must pay their own way at a cost of $1,500 or more per person. Many hold fundraisers to defray the cost.
Dr. Tim Wall of Naperville and nurse Tamara Wilfong of Glen Ellyn were among those who went with Edgers, who lives in Aurora and teaches nursing at Aurora University.
"The people in Honduras are the most thankful and appreciative people," Edgers said. ""They're very warm and loving, so you get lots of hugs."
At the end of each treatment session, volunteers wash the children's hair and comb out lice while they evangelize or share stories of Jesus' life.
"For me, it's my renewal," Edgers said. "It reminds me why God put us on Earth, to serve and take care of each other. I see God's fingerprints and little miracles."