“Mama Carroll, come quick! Myra* needs your help.” I rushed into the bathroom expecting to see Myra vomiting. Instead, she faced me with her pants around her ankles and a panicked look in her eyes.
“Myra, what is the problem?” I asked.
“I have a worm,” her soft voice replied.
“A what?” I asked, not sure I comprehended the Spanish word gusano.
Myra bent over and fully mooned me, revealing a round worm trying to make its way out of her body. With no time to think, I tore off some toilet tissue, grabbed ahold of that creature, and yanked it out. Oh, please, don’t let there be more. After a few minutes, I called our nurse, and she confirmed there would be more. I needed to get Myra on parasite medication to kill the others (yes, death to those ugly things). She also told me that while the medication worked, the worms would try to exit the body through any opening possible. Now that grossed me out. I even got a detailed review of what that looked like. Lord, I never wanted to be a nurse. I don’t know if I can handle this. (The Lord told me that I already had done it.) I followed the nurse’s orders and, thankfully, didn’t have to repeat this performance. I became a hero in the eyes of the girls that day, but I sure didn’t feel like one.
The calmness I saw in Myra through all of this with the round worms reminded me of what these girls are subjected to in this third-world country. Parasites are an everyday part of their lives. Many of them don’t have the option to take the medication necessary to kill the living creatures because of the lack of money.
Parasites are picked up in many ways: in the dust/dirt, in water, on fruits and vegetables, or from poor sanitation and hygiene. There are parasites everywhere in this little country the size of Tennessee. Prevention isn’t available to these girls, because they are already walking invitations for infestation. They deal with weakened immune systems, malnutrition, insect bites, and contact with animal feces. Missionaries learn to spend a lot of time washing hands and disinfecting every fruit and vegetable. Drinking filtered water is a must. After all of the precautions, those nasty critters still find a way to get into bodies and cause serious physical complications.
I had only been in Guatemala for two weeks when what my Granny called “the green apple two-step” hit me. I rarely have fevers, but that came next. I called for help and received the necessary medication to clean out my system. I suffered the side effects of the medicine, moaning and groaning, but I reminded myself that the kids in this country usually live as a host for these parasites their whole short lives. I’ve had to resort often to medication, and it has become a way of life for me. Instead of fretting, I’m thankful for the help when faced with those times.
The time with Myra, and the personal experiences I’ve endured in similar situations, helped me to resolve that the children who came to Shadow of His Wings would be cleansed in every way possible. When a new child entered the orphanage, he or she automatically received the medication to get rid of any parasite habitation. If a child had symptoms of stomach pain, diarrhea, and fever, we headed to the pharmacy for parasite medication. That problem took first place at the top of the check list, with flu and food poisoning under it. Nobody should have to endure the torture these creatures can inflict, but we saw victory with a little white pill.
Name has been changed.