honduras

Can we even do this much on Roatan!

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If you are on Roatan and you don’t read this shame on you.Having said that, Happy Holidays everybody! But seriously please read this, it’s important.

When you or a family member is ill or injured, where do you turn?

If you’re like most in our community, you go to a hospital or a clinic.

Why?
Because you know you will receive medical care that only a qualified Professional can provide. You probably go to Clinica Esperanza or as we islanders call it, Miss Peggy clinic, because you know that you’ll be treated like a real person, by dedicated, compassionate health professionals in a warm, caring environment.

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As most of you know I am a local islander on an unlikely journey, fighting against all odds, to become a doctor. If there is somebody that knows and cares for the people of Roatan both tourist, expats, and local it’s me.  Being a doctor with a message of hope and change in my community is something that I badly want to do, it is what I believe my purpose is in life and is something I will continue to work hard for if given the chance. To do this I need your help.

While having medical brigades is awesome, when you train a local doctor that knows and is a part of local communities, you are helping touch the lives of thousands– whether patients are facing an urgent need, a devastating disease or seeking to improve their quality of life. Your aid can help make the difference

I want to be the vehicle thru which you can make a difference.  I want to serve you and your loved ones – to provide hope, healing and recovery. Your gift for this next year of schooling is extremely important because it will enable me to learn the clinical skills that can one day make a real difference in the lives of many.2015-gift-never-waster-graphic

Your gift of any amount to my fundraising campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/esa4t2b7 will help me continue on this journey,  and will help make an immediate impact on urgently needed health services for our community.

I am committed to working hard to honour your gift by being all that I can be – for you, for your loved ones, for every person in the community.  Please help to make this possible with your contribution.

I need your support. You and I can make a difference. Right here. Right now.

Thank you so much for your help.
Natan Webster
https://www.facebook.com/medstudenthonduras/

Calling out the village people: Yes YOU!

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margaretmead101283 (2)This week thanks to our governments eternal love for holidays… for being such a poor country boy we sure do have a bunch of holidays but this post is not about that it’s about you…. As I was saying because of the holidays I got to come home to Roatan for this week, it has been great to spend time with my mom and sisters, meet with some people who have been helping me in my journey and see old friends. I LOVE my country and I love my island, Roatan is a very unique place filled with many wonderful people. People from all over the world come here to call this place home, or to get a view of the beauty that is found here.

Today I am calling some of those people out and I´m putting you on the spot.
I have seen some of the reporting concerning the local hospital but I refrained from commenting till I came home and could get a close up look. My friends what is going on with the hospital is a damn shame but it’s our fault. We have made great investment on this island our infrastructure is getting there we have some beautiful resorts we have some awesome restaurants yes our roads are awful and our hospital is …. Well I don’t need to tell you, but we have not invested in our human resource, education is a huge problem for us. Now I am not saying that we do not have highly educated people here because we do, but we need more. I was telling a friend, don’t you think this situation would be a lot different if the minister of health was someone from the island or if we had somebody in the minister´s office? Dr Raymond is an awesome doctor but he was left to hold the forth alone, but he couldn´t he needs reinforcement. we need Highly qualified people with a passion for our community and only then things will change.

Here is the good news, the cavalry is coming! But your help is needed!

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Consider this a shameless plug because well…. that´s what it is. See, for the past three years I have had a village of friends who have helped me on my journey to become a doctor with a message and a mission here in Honduras. Thanks to them next year I will be taking my last semester classes then I will start my rotations, But to do that I need your help I need you to dream with me.

I am running a fundraiser to raise 8000 dollars to cover a full year of medical school, without raising the money I would not be able to fulfil my calling. I have tried to tell some, it is great for us to have missionary trips and medical brigades and I sure appreciate the people who are willing to take the time and money to do that they fill such an important role that someday I hope to become one of them, it’s largely because of their influence in my life that I have a much different view on life than other guys who grow up in extreme poverty the way I did, but the best we can do is to help train people in the community our effect would be much greater and the ripple effect in doing so is really immeasurable.

I would like to one of those local strategic investments you can make today, I am asking you to help me on this journey. Please go on over to http://www.solsite.org and click the donate button today.  I cannot do this without your help. Please also consider sharing my story with your friends via Facebook. I greatly appreciate any action taken to help me. I know trying to raise 8000 dollars is hard but I must try, I am trusting God and YOU to help me get there.

I proudly continue working hard to be a community doctor. I continue to dream of helping and healing people and with your help. Please go on over to SOL today and chip in to help get me accross the finish line.Make sure to type Natan Webster in the dedication line, and please make sure to share this post with your friends. Also remember that all donations made via SOL are tax deductible.

I need 150 people to donate 48 dollars to reach my goal, friend I am calling on you to consider investing in me today, and to sharing my journey with your friends. If I could get a loan I would, I don’t mind graduating with some debt I just want to graduate, I just want an opportunity to be all that I can be, I want an opportunity to prove myself and to be the change I want to see in the world.

donate here now help me get over the finish line.

I am thankful to my mentors, friends, and supporters who continue to share my story with others.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Will you be a part of this?

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Dear Friends and Family,
I write this post with excitement, great Joy and hope for the future, as I continue my journey into medical school. As most of you know with help from Miss Peggy Stranges and Sol foundation I applied to and passed the admission testing, making more than the minimum requirement to enter medical school in Honduras in the summer of 2011.

My road to medical school has been challenging at best, as few students in my situation have tried to gain access to medical programs and succeeded, and of those who succeed to get in even fever actually get thru the program. I was born in less than ideal circumstances and have had and uphill battle all the way constantly beating long odds to overcome the challenges of life. I am the oldest of four siblings, and while growing up very poor with a single mother who did and awesome job considering the circumstances, I truly am a product of my family and communities hard work and perseverance, there are so many people that have invested time and energy in my journey way long before they even knew I was headed to medical school, Like Ptolemy and Neysa Matthews, and Joelle Fehlauer who came down to Honduras to volunteer time in a christian school I attended,all of whom made and incredible impression on me at a time when I was really struggling, fighting battles they knew nothing about.

I worked for three years at the local hospital in roatan, it was here that I truly became  inspired me to dream big and go beyond the expectations of my neighborhood. I know that inequities exist, and my curiosity for healing and justice deppened. I have made it my personal mission to improve conditions that prevent others from having equal treatment and access to education and healthcare resources. I have made it my mission to ease human suffering I believe this is the reason I was born.

My friends and mentors have said that I am a trailblazer, that I have taken the road less traveled, and that in the face of insurmountable challenges , I have overcome the greatest of obstacles. The reality is that I have had much help to be where I am today, and at every step of the way, I have encountered and relied on the kindness of friends, neighbors, teachers, and mentors to teach me and guide me through the process.

Now once more I must rely on the kindness of others to help me through my next step in medical school. Because Honduras really does not offer formal financial aid programs, or student loans, especially for poor people in medical school who´s parent has no valuable assets . I must fundraise to cover my medical school expenses in order to see my dream of becoming a community doctor come true. While I worked to pay my own way through high school, I am unable to work as a medical student due to the high volume of classes and information I will be required to learn over the next few years. I receive a partial scholarship from the foundation for the advancement of people administered by SOL foundation. which comes under review each year. This agreements as most of you probably already know requires that I raise part of the funds I need from the community.

It takes about 7000 dollars per year for me to stay in the program. I have a formula thru which Sol and Rotary provide roughtly 75% of this which leaves me to raise 1750 dollars per year. I have done this the past two years online with help from many friends. Well it is October I am about done with this year and it is time to do it again friends. I will be meeting with rotary and Sol in December to determine plans for the next year and whether they will continue funding me or not. But how about we start to raise our share and exceed it by them. I got help raising funds for this year from so many of you. Tricia, Anna, Nicki, Jennifer,Mark, Roatan homes, Peggy, Dave  and so many others shared my story and helped me raise the funds I needed for this year in about two weeks.

Friends, today I humbly ask you to dream with me. I am asking you to once again support my goal of becoming a physician by helping sponsor another year of my medical education, It would be impossible for me to do this without your help. My goal is to fundraise at least the 1750 dollars in order to help meet the 7000 dollars I will need for the next school year. . I am doing what I can in applying to scholarships, finding alternative measures of funding, and now asking for your support.

I know there are many other needs and I have seem so many request for money lately on Facebook for so many good causes, I also know that while we would like to help everyone there is only so much we can do. I have lamented how politicians are able to raise so much money from so many donors while many charities are lacking funding. But the truth is  one of the reasons they are able to do so is because a lot of people know about them.

Friend one of the best things you can do besides chipping in yourself is making sure to share this with your friends. I know there are many people who would be glad to help if they only knew about my dream and my story. After all, all I need is 1750 people to donate 1 dollar.

As I have mentioned before I am only able to continue on this journey because of the generous support of people like you, I would really appreciate it if you would go over to sol foundation website and make a donation of any amount to help me thru next year and to help me complete this program. I assure you I will honor that donation in loving service, and by making sure I am doing everything I can to pay it forward. Just make sure to type Natan Webster in the dedication box. Every penny sent to sol with the dedication line Natan Webster is administered to my scholarship Program, and is a foundational stone in helping me become a doctor with a message and a mission in Honduras.

http://www.solsite.org/

Cesar words resonate with my life goals of community work — “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” I believe in the power we have as a community and hope that you can help me reach my dream of becoming a physician.
Thanks to the support of many I am about to finish and will soon be posting grades for macro-anatomy, neuro-anatomy,embryology,histology, and public health.

With your help next year, I’ll be able to finish physiology, bioquem, psychology, public health,microbiology, and genetics 

I proudly continue working hard to be a community doctor. I continue to dream of helping and healing people and with your help, I will be one step closer to creating a healthier, and more just world for all of us.
Please go on over to SOL today and chip in making sure to type Natan Webster in the dedication line, and please make sure to share this post with your friends. Also remember that all donations made via SOL are tax deductible.

donate here now

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you!

A place called Hope.

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images (30)“Hope is the last thing you loose.” My mother would say this to me many times growing up, I often ,as many children do, did not listen very closely to the things my mother said, but now that I am out in the world trying to find my way it is the things that she taught me that have sustained and enable me to overcome every challenge I have faced. I remember one time I was in high school and had to quit because we could not afford the 50 dollars monthly that staying in school required. One afternoon I was out on the property where we lived and I was quite emotional, just crying and making a fuss, my mama came and found me and asked me what was the matter? I said “Mami it is not fair, I want to study so bad it is the only thing I want in life and I can’t do it, other people have the chance to study and they wasting it and me that want it so bad just can’t have it.” To which my mom replied “son never be envious of what other people have because you don’t know how they got it, and hope is the last thing you loose. We poor people all we have is hope if you loose that then you don’t have nothing.” Now I would like to tell you I got it and everything was ok, but being the child I was, I just keep fusing till my mom give me a good wipping and sent me to my room.  

My mom really did teach me to never loose hope not just by the things she said  but by the things she did and still does. My mom has quite a sad story she was abused as a child in horrible ways , she was given away by her mother, the stories she tells you just can’t make them up. But my mother is the most hopeful and happy person I have ever meet, If I had gone thru all the things she has, I doubt I would have a laughter left, but my mother laughs often and she laughs hard. And I realize that she is that way because she has never given up hope. She still hopes to buy a piece of land so she can leave for her four children, she still hopes she can help her big son become a doctor, she still hopes she want win the lotery, she still hopes and works to help those around her, after 50 years of trials, set backs, dissapoinments, and troubles she is still the happiest and most caring woman I know because she still hopes. 

Now as is usual around this time of year my scholarship is under review see I am on a partial scholarship which covers half of the cost involve with being in medical school in the capital. This scholarship comes under review in June-July for the scholarship year starting in August of each year. At which time the foundation providing this funding determines whether it will continue partially funding me for another school year.  The desition is based ,from what I am told, on the progress I am making toward getting my medical degree and the foundation’s financial situation. I was asked to turn in grades earlier this month and am waiting to hear from the foundation. I am asked to raise a half of my cost each year and thanks to generous donations from many kindhearted people I have done so for the year 2014, but without the funding from the foundation it would be impossible for me to stay in the medical program seeing as this accounts for roughly half of the money needed to stay in the program. So while I am keeping my hopes up and my fingers crossed, while waiting to hear from them, I would really desire those of you who know a word of prayer to pray for me please that this all works out. God has done it before and I know he can do it again. And those of you that don’t pray well wish me luck please! 

Being a doctor with a message of hope and change in my community is something that I badly want to do, it is what I believe my purpose is in life and is something I will continue to work hard for if given the chance. The medical program is extremely difficult, expensive, and long. Gosh 8 years is almost a decade and as many have said I am crazy to be doing it.Sure I admit it, I am somewhat crazy but I am also hopeful. It is hope that keeps me going because hope is all I’ve got. I wish I could work and be in med school as I did thru high school. I wish there was some student loan program at my disposal, I would be glad to graduate with student debt, it is better than not graduating at all. But because this is Honduras I must depend on kindhearted people to fund my education for such a long time and all I have to offer is hope and my good intentions, that is crazy indeed.

 But let me tell you about my dream job, there is a lady on the island by the name of Peggy Stranges,  I as many on the island call her Miss Peggy. She started a clinic literally in her kitchen just helping people who knew she is a nurse and would come to her for help, today Miss Peggy’s clinic is serving so many of Roatan’s most needy. The work she is doing is amazing and I want to be a part of it. Miss Peggy’s clinic is called clínica esperanza which is translated HOPE clinic. Miss Peggy now has maternity and pediatric services and is looking to expand to a surgical service. This clinic is run basically with volunteers from the U.S mostly. But how awesome it will be to have someone locally trained, locally raised volunteering in, dedicated and committed to the wellbeing of the clinic and the hundreds of people it serves. My dream is to become a doctor, to help those around me, and to help others fulfill their dreams just as you are helping me. Some days I go online and I look up pictures of the clinic and the work they do and  I am inspired, I am sharing some of those pictures in this post. I dream of becoming a part of the staff of hope clinic or and anywhere else I can help. I dream of working in a place called HOPE.

If you would like to help me make it you could take a little time to pray that I will receive funding for another year and you could also go over to https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1441500 and make a donation of any amount now, remember that all donations via sol are tax deductible just make sure to type natan webster in the dedication line. Whether you donate, or pray, or share my blog with someone, or write me a quick  note, or just wish me luck. I appreciate any action taken and will make sure to update you all as soon as I hear from the foundation. Thanks. 

 

Wow It´s not just me!!!

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I must admit I have been feeling the blues lately. It seems like all heaven and hell have come together to take me down this semester. I take one step forward and I´m pushed two step backward. Nothing has been working out the way it should, both in and outside of the classroom and it is very stressful and frustating. Then I found this article online and it really helped me. now I don´t think I need to see a doctor just yet but it sure helps to know that its not just me.

Anonymous asked you: hi, it’s me again. maybe i don’t have depression. maybe i’m just.. deficient in coping with things. i’m not happy with how i’m handling problems- i’m a pro at running away and freaking out later. is a simple thing such as random tears, negative thoughts and inability to handle daily stresses a warning sign big enough for a visit to the doc? i keep thinking and worrying about flunking, about dropping medschool….

Dear anonymous (and to anyone else experiencing a similar situation),

The short answer is yes, you are completely justified in seeking help. I need both hands and both feet to count the number of times I’ve seen doctors and counsellors and psychologists because I wanted to drop out of med school, because I felt like I wasn’t coping, and damn it, everyone around me was doing so well. 

Let’s be honest—med school is hard. I remember sitting in a lecture in second year, watching all the other students around me, and they were in perfect control of med school. They sat through lectures without falling asleep and without panicking about exams in two months and without being afraid of being judged, they took notes studiously and went home to their friends and family and lovers and siblings and maintained healthy relationships and seemingly flawless grades. It felt like I was the only one in a hall of hundreds of students that didn’t know how to make it through med school.

I spent an entire semester avoiding lectures and other students and hiding in the library because I thought I was crazy.

There’s something no one ever tells us about med school, and it’s this: we’re all struggling. I was having coffee with a colleague the other day, and he started to explain to me his struggles with depression, his excessive alcohol intake at the start of med school—and this is someone I’d always looked up to. Someone who, in my opinion, checked all the boxes: intelligent, kind, funny, surrounded by family and friends. And yet, he was someone struggling through med school as well. Very few med students wear their hearts on their sleeves—that’s why I keep this blog somewhat anonymous, because I’m still learning to let myself be vulnerable.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that you’re not alone, and med school has the ability to make us our own worst enemies. But, at the same time, it doesn’t have to be the end of you. You don’t have to try and cope with these thoughts and feelings and fears alone. You, and every other medical student, every other health care student, every other person in general, are entitled to help and to have what’s going on validated. I can’t diagnose you with depression over the internet (or without a qualification of some sort), but whether you meet the criteria or not is irrelevant. You are allowed to seek help. You are allowed to talk to a professional and you are allowed to let them help you.

Please don’t struggle alone. Med school has no right to make you feel this way.

Take care of yourself and I hope you seek some help—talk to your family doctor or to your university health department.

My Life As A Med Student.

 

“A ship in harbor is safe. But that’s now what ships are built for.” William Shedd

The first week!!!

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Several things have been made painfully obvious to me in my first week of medical school. First of all, it’s true – med students probably cover just as much in one week as general science students do in a month, the pace is ridiculous. Every day is a struggle to keep my head above water. We, as medical students, are expected to memorize a nauseating amount of information, and then regurgitate it on test day. Falling behind, even for a day, could be fatal. I study after I study and I still feel like I don’t study enough. Currently my schedule is as follows:

Monday-Friday

Classes:  9 to 5 it takes and hour for me to get to and from the faculty

Dinner : 6-7

Study: 7 my brain turns into cheese, usually around 11pm

Overall I study between 60-70 hours per week

 Second, This thing is ridiculously expensive, found out pretty early on in the week that I do not have enough money to cover books and lab material, and uniform cost, which means I have to figure something out by Monday.

Okay, enough about the sad/boring stuff. The faculty is awesome! It’s fun getting to school, reading the lecture topic for the day, thinking that “oh, I’ve studied a little of this before”, and then concluding the lecture with “I don’t remember EVER learning this before.” I have some of the most well-rounded classmates in the country, and we’re constantly pushing each other to learn everything we possibly can about the human body. The professors are awesome (and have a great sense of humor), the facilities are fantastic and the curriculum is solid! :-) I am surprised that my favorite class so far is by far neuroanatomy and histology is a close second. Anywho, here are two of my experiences that have made my week.

Story Number 1:

We had a faculty induction course on Thursday, by this point we had already meet all our professors received all our class plans and already had a bunch of assignments and books to buy. I went into the lecture at 7A.M feeling pretty down. One by the realization that I did not have nearly enough money to cover the cost of the things being required of me, and another by the sheer volume of stuff that was being heaped on us all at once. When I got there I had an immediate change of mood I saw so many people that I had taken different classes with the past 2 plus years at the university and while making small talk with different ones. I realized that we are all in this together, we are all going thru more or less the same thing and that most of us will survive, because that is our nature, we would not have gotten this far if it wasn’t. The course was a reminder to me of why I had chosen this difficult road and how my God will always put in my path the things that I need to get thru it. I came out of that course feeling reinvigorated and ready to go.

Story Number 2:

Friday afternoon I got out of embriology early and went to have lunch with some classmates and again I was feeling a little stressed out becuase of trying to figure out how to get my hands on all the material being required of me. Well I was deep in thought, thinking about coming up with the money to buy my disection kit. When my friend vicki says right out of the blue “You know it is amazing to me, I have known Natan for two plus year, we took our very first class together, and I have never seen him stressed, I mean even on test days the guy is just always relaxed and ready.” I was like which Natan are you talking about? Cause this Natan is freaking out right now.

After finishing lunch, we then went to histology. Like I said, I have surprisingly taken a liking to this class, Although for some reason the professor keeps calling on me, its like my name is the first name she learned so she just keeps going to it, which i don’t mind because it keeps me attentive and I am learning a lot. The subject we were doing today was really complicated and to me was so amazing. I came out of that class thinking about how much I love this career. I love the long classes, I love working with the cadaver and the microscope. I love all the amazing things I am learning about the greatest structure the world has ever known, the human body, and the many tools that help us study and take care of this body.
 
Medical school is hard and very stressful, But I am so glad that God and so may good people have given me this opportunity. I absolutely love it and am very excited about what all this semester will hold and all the things I will learn and hopefully, someday, being able to use that knowledge to help people. Yep its just the first week of faculty classes, it is hard and stressful and I love it.  And I thank you so much again for helping me be here. I would love to hear from you, how about leaving a quick note or sending me an email? or just passing my blog along to a friend so they can read it too.
Thank you for everything you do to help me. May God richly bless you.

Dressed in white, ready for service!!!!

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There is something about going to the faculty that inspires me.

When I was going thru the issue in my last post, and just feeling terrible. I went over to the faculty the other day even tho I didn´t have class, because I had to see my faculty director about planning for next year courses. I got there around 10 AM and sat in the lobby waiting for him to show up. As I sat there I started to notice the students in white, those 5th year and above ( yea we don´t get to dress like that till 5th year) walking in and out of the faculty administrative building for diver reasons. The faculty is right next to the teaching hospital (for obvious reasons). A man coming to the hospital with problems somehow ended up in the administrative faculty building lobby, the students that were in that lobby inmediately sprang to action, taking control of the situation and making sure the man got the help that he needed.  For that moment I forgot all about the issues, and problems I was dealing with, I saw the future and I was inspired. It was like no other place in the world existed.

There is something about seeing all those students dressed in white that always makes me hopeful. See all those guys were at some point where I´m at now, all of them had to go thru the hard work, and still have quite a bit of work ahead of them. All of them sacrifice 5 years, family ,friendships , relationships, etc. to get to that point. And that´s what its about helping people, about doing all that we can for our fellowmen, its a great love for all of God´s children, and I am glad that the Lord has brought me to this place.

Another thing that I noticed, and if you look at the picture above you´ll notice that there is not a black face in that group. One thing I have noticed whenever I go over to the faculty is that I have never seen another black student there. Even at the university out of 19 classes that I have taken I have only had one black classmate in one class, and that was a girl. Now, I won´t get into why there are very few black guys in medicine, because there are a lot of reasons, But, it does add a little more pressure.Its not just about me. I have to make it and I have to be the best. Because there are people like one profesor said to me who believe that black guys can´t cut it in medicine, you are here to prove that is not the case. Dr Ben Carson anybody? But yea that does add some motivation.

 

In my last post I was talking about a pretty terrible person that had done me wrong. But this event made me think about some of the great people I have meet along the way that have done me right. One of my conlusions in my last post was that there are some bad people in the world and some are worse than others. But you know what, there are also some pretty awesome people in this world and most of them are not dressed in white and in med school, but those of us that are, are priviledged indeed.                        One of those people is Mark over at Sol foundation, I have been truly impressed with how much Mark works with us to make sure things are going well, we can always count on him to help us figure things out. It is amazing to me how he goes out of his way to help us be successful. I really couldn´t do this without his assistance and guidance.

Very hopefull that  some day with God´s help I´ll be one of those people dressed in white, but for now I need to go bury my face in a biophysics book. 

By the way as you know I am on a partial scholarship and depend on good people like you helping to make my dream of becoming a doctor with a message and a mission in honduras a reality. If you would like to help me to this or would like to learn more follow the link below. Make sure to put Natan Webster in the dedication line. 

http://www.solsite.org/

Any action taking will be greatly appreciated, let me know your thoughts. Love to hear suggestions.