Doctor Barbara

This afternoon Dr. Barbara McCune came to El Hogar to talk to my team about healthcare in Honduras. Dr. Barbara runs a clinic for the poor just outside of Tegucigalpa. She talked to us about the lack of affordable health care, the lack of treatment drugs, the terrible state of the only hospital in the country that will accept patients who cannot pay, and the minimal services this hospital provides to those patients. I cannot retell her stories, but I was greatly touched by the strength of her spirit, her determination and perseverance.

Dr. Barbara has been running her clinic here for over 4 years, and is not planning to leave just yet. She talked about what keeps her motivated, what keeps her working here while many have given up in frustration, what keeps her from falling into despair.

She summarized it simply as “picking her battles.” Dr. Barbara sees many people at her clinic. She cannot help them all, nor can she fix the system. Her motivation comes from the details. Small successes of her patients inspire her to continue her work. A woman working to overcome and severe depression violence at home… A woman scared but willing herself to ride a bus for 3 hours after walking for 2.5 hours to come to the city she has never been to so that her little boy receives proper treatment… One by one, her patients keep Dr. Barbara here in Honduras despite the odds.