BajaNomad

UPDATE -***FULL CIRCLE - CHIEF RESIDENT OPERATES ON UNCLE ALEX - The Little Girl Who Woluld Become a Brain Surgeon (Chapter 4...

 Pages:  1    3    5

akmaxx - 8-5-2011 at 10:26 AM

You can in donate in three ways....drop off pesos at Rest. Pancho Villa in Mulege, if you are known to me you can pledge and I will cover it until I get home to Mulege, or the easiest by far - Paypal.com to egvbuckovecs@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support so far.

[Edited on 7-12-2013 by akmaxx]

Thank you RD, LL, and JA - $1,375 and counting

akmaxx - 8-5-2011 at 02:06 PM

Thank you KP, paying it forward......

akmaxx - 8-5-2011 at 11:43 PM

BB and LK take us to $1,555.....Thanks all who have donated so far.

akmaxx - 8-6-2011 at 08:37 AM

Emilia thinks she has to get a job while in school but I don't know how she could do that. Her schedule is 8-5 M-F and 10-5 on Saturdays with reading in every spare minute. She can't afford to live near the school, so bus time has to factored in.

The medical school schedule at Universidad de la Guadalaja is not undergraduate basket weaving and BB stacking at a party school like Gonzaga. It is a full time business and Emi is kicking ass and taking names with her work ethic. Let's keep helping a winner.

Just sayin'.

toneart - 8-6-2011 at 10:13 AM

Maxx,

I just sent in a donation to Emilia by Paypal.

I am not in Mulege right now so maybe you can answer this question:
Does her family still operate two restaurants? I know that Pancho
Villa's is difficult to get to because of the bad river road on the north side. Because of this, they took over the operation of the (new last year) restaurant under the bridge, in town.

While I was there last winter and spring I did not see many people patronizing the new restaurant. If they are still hanging in there, maybe we Mulegenos could pledge to eat there often. Please let us know if they still have the under-the-bridge restaurant.

Saludos,

Tony

Mulegena - 8-6-2011 at 10:31 AM

The Shack, under the bridge in town, is closed, I believe.

Driving the North River Road out to Pancho Villas to enjoy the family's company and sister Lucy's/mom Yolanda's culinary offerings has always been well worth the effort.

Yes, its slow & bumpy and, imo, a fun little 5-minute drive-- hey, its Baja-- glorious, gorgeous land that it is. Emelia and her family embody that spirit, thru 'n thru.

I just made a very, very modest donation for Emy thru Max' Paypal, and I was wishing I could give more but can't right now. Max, here's a question please: Would it be alright if we donated a bit from time to time throughout the year as our budgets allow? This in addition to the immediate goal of meeting her annual needs?

Absoutely Mulegena!

akmaxx - 8-6-2011 at 11:45 AM

Paypal any time you want.

Emilia was trying to line up regular monthly sponsors and had some luck, but depending on a monthly payment takes a more tracking than a lump-sum that she can manage as the school year progresses.

The Shack is owned by her sister Lucy and is the only place in town you can get $1 draft Modelo Negra.....mmmmmm. As well as the Farmer's Market she trying arrange right now for farm fresh cooking and sales without the drive to the valley.

Business wasn't great for Lucy when she took it over, but next season is going to emphasize fast service, fresh ingredients, specials, cheap drinks, and such while she mothers her new child - Tadeo. Ojalla que no es otra chubasco.

Bob H - 8-6-2011 at 02:13 PM

Maxx, my wife, Audrey, and I just donated $50 via paypal. What a great story and a wonderful young lady!
Bob and Audrey

WS, TH, and AH bringing the total to $1,685....Getting closer

akmaxx - 8-6-2011 at 02:20 PM

A wonderful young lady, for sure, and a damn smart, dedicated, and focused one at that. I think that when she makes it many good things will be discovered or cured by her.

Peace.

Couple of big patrons waiting in the wings for a grand finale, I am sure of it. The suspense is killing me

akmaxx - 8-6-2011 at 10:52 PM

wilderone - 8-7-2011 at 08:48 AM

"...depending on a monthly payment takes a more tracking than a lump-sum that she can manage as the school year progresses"

What constitutes a "school year"? Is this for a semester, or 'til June 2012? Maybe bump this around Christmas for another supplement to add to the desired total.

Tuition is due by August 30th, we have to account for delays in bank transfer

akmaxx - 8-7-2011 at 09:10 AM

By doing a bank transfer in one-lump sum you avoid the $39 wire fee for each transfer.

So Wilder, to answer your question, this $2,600 is for two semesters of medical school tuition/books/pens and eight months of $100 a month stipend to keep Emi in student food.

I would and may run a supplemental at x-mas but if it can be done now......Emilia will still send you updates on her progress (grades, awards, breakthroughs, etc) whether you support her once or multiple times. She is very grateful for the chance to shine and shows it everyday at school.

Her tuition is due at the end of the month, but we have to account for delays in bank transfers so I would like to achieve her goal asap so she can get focus on school. An analogy might be a really good politician (rare, I know) who has to stop work to raise money. Make sense? In this case, Emilia is still studying her brains out and we are raising money for her. I have told her not to worry because I am confident that the money will be there when she needs it.

That being said: If you were on the fence or drinking coffee or watching cats do funny things on the net or mowing the grass or whatever, just stop right now and log onto Paypal.com and donate a little something to a star of a tiny little town who is doing the right thing and needs your help.

Peace.

Bob H - 8-7-2011 at 09:25 AM

Emilia, working at her family restaurant in 2007. She made us wonderful pineapple margaritas that day. It was a great day, indeed.

Stuck at $1685...hmmmmm....time to bust out the coffee mugs I guess. Good ideas anyone?

akmaxx - 8-8-2011 at 07:57 AM

BajaHombre - 8-8-2011 at 07:59 AM

I'm in for $200.00 via PayPal, but it will be in about 2 weeks.

BH

Ricardo - 8-8-2011 at 08:06 AM

Maybe make a little photo story (trip report) of Emilia in Mulege, in University etc. so people can identify with this wonderful young lady. then they might be more likely to help.
Rick

Emelia

Posada-BushPilot - 8-8-2011 at 09:20 AM

Hi Maxx,

Just sent $200 via paypal.

I will get an email out to all of our Rotary Club members today. I'm sure some will help.

Fellow Nomads: This is a wonderful opportunity to DIRECTLY support a truly deserving young person WITH NO ADMIN EXPENSES TAKEN OUT! If you donate to United Way or some other org, how much of your donation actually gets to the beneficiary? In this case, every dime will.

Great job Maxx.

CL and RK bring the total to $1935....THANK YOU CL for donatinig twice!!!!!

akmaxx - 8-8-2011 at 11:17 AM

CL gets double helping of thanks but she isn't preventing you from donating once. :lol: Not everybody can share in the years of returns this will bring, so act fast.....No free coffee mugs yet but like Bush-Pilot said "....there are no admin costs with this one."

Peace,

standingwave - 8-8-2011 at 11:31 AM

The photo story idea is a good one. And on a fresh post so newcomers don't think they need to read 11 pages...

BajaBlanca - 8-8-2011 at 02:29 PM

hmmmm what I did for a friend of mine is put Emmy's letters together so she could see how inspiring the story was ... my amiga lives in Miami, but supports education so I wanted her to participate ....

please udate the total on the main thread !! this is inspiring to see !! one hopes it goes up n up day by day !!

Lauriboats - 8-9-2011 at 07:24 AM

Just made my donation for this great cause. I can't imagine Emilia having to work while attending medical school to become a doctor.

LF and JW bring us a lot closer $2,285....Yeahhh! Only a few days left....

akmaxx - 8-9-2011 at 08:23 AM

I wish 315 more Nomads gave a dollar apiece so they could follow this story through Emilia's updates and triumphs. (she writes a nice thank you letter as well and will probably advise you on your medicine gratis in a few years :bounce:)

[Edited on 8-9-2011 by akmaxx]

wsdunc - 8-9-2011 at 09:27 AM

Made a small donation the other day. Today received a personal email thanking me. The lady is a class act. That's good for another donation.

jureal - 8-9-2011 at 01:10 PM

Our donation is on the way.

$2,410 almost there.....Thank you MS and RD...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.........

akmaxx - 8-10-2011 at 12:35 PM

BajaHombre - 8-10-2011 at 01:22 PM

Hi Maxx,

I just sent you my donation via PayPal.

BH

EngineerMike - 8-10-2011 at 02:06 PM

Just sent money via paypal at aswmiso@yahoo.com
Education is the one investment that keeps on paying!!

Keep up the good work Emi.

KM, MF, and WN take us over the goal line and into the stands....The crowd goes wild!!!!!!!!!!!!

akmaxx - 8-10-2011 at 05:58 PM

We did go a bit over the goal so if anybody wants a refund (back down to the goal) Emilia is willing to part with it. Otherwise it is going to stay in an account for emergencies or go towards the 2012-2013 school year.

Thanks to all Nomads and others who have contributed in a very positive way to an amazing and deserving young student.

Pat yourselves on the back. Those of you who pledged through me - I will see you soon and you can pay me in pesos, dollars, or home-baked goods.:bounce:

Thanks again and peace,

Maxx.

Mulegena - 8-10-2011 at 08:06 PM

Thanks are to you, Maxx, for herding this motley crew of alleycats,

and thanks are to Emilia for her continued efforts in school.

To give a little bit for the education of this worthy young woman is an easy investment in the betterment of all mankind.

Yay! Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't ever stop.

BajaBlanca - 8-10-2011 at 08:49 PM

fantastic !!!!!!!!!!

I agree with Mulegena, thanks to you for keeping up the entusiasm .....

it is a good day in paradise ....

wilderone - 8-10-2011 at 09:44 PM

AWESOME!

jureal - 8-11-2011 at 09:06 AM

Refund? No Way. Save it for the future. Good job and thanks.

wsdunc - 8-11-2011 at 09:10 AM

She's the greatest and you are the hero Maxx

La Doctora sends you a smile wants you to know....

akmaxx - 8-18-2011 at 07:58 PM

how grateful she is for this chance. She shows it here by dissecting a liver (?) and smiling. School has started, classes are more difficult, and she is going to kick ass.

[Edited on 8-19-2011 by akmaxx]

101_2559.JPG - 48kB

Ricardo - 8-18-2011 at 08:10 PM

That Smile is all the thank you I ever need.
Rick

Testing posting photos.....Trying to figure it out with instructions from another thread....

akmaxx - 8-19-2011 at 09:02 PM





BajaBlanca - 8-23-2011 at 01:13 PM

you did good on the photos !!! it took me around 2 years to learn LOL ... Congrats Emmy - we wish you all the success in the world !!

a little update on Emila

Mulegena - 11-4-2011 at 10:37 PM

She's doing great, positive attitude, happy and more beautiful than ever as she develops into a first-class doctor.

Studying genetics last I heard.
A few nights before that it was physiology.

Good girl, Emy!

Near perfect grades, enthusiasm, and a very bright future - You all helped this happen...............MEXICO'S FUTURE!...

akmaxx - 11-12-2011 at 07:18 AM

Here is La Docotra's last update. If you aren't receiving her updates in your personal email then you weren't a donor/patron(ess) of this amazing Mulegena (or I transposed your address - I've got fat keyboard fingers).

Peace,

___________________________________________

First I want to apologize for not writing to you before, seriously, I feel very ashamed about it. Truth be told, I have been working very very hard at school and haven’t got a day off just to sit and write. I decided to work on this letter little by little in every chance I get, now it is done and I hope you enjoy it.


In general, my grades are great, A, A+, A, B, B, A+, something like that but in numbers. This is the result of working very hard every day, and harder the next one. I’m very sorry that it took me so long to write to you, but this is one of the reasons, it takes a lot of time to get even a B in medical school, so I appreciate your understanding that.


7 octubre del 2011


The death of the dog

Today was a very exciting day, we had our physiopathology lab and the teacher taught us about infarction, diabetes and renal failure with a dog. That's right, a dog. Yes the poor animal did die, but he taught us so much. We used anesthetics so he wouldn’t feel anything and then we started all the procedures to see in real time and in a real heart a heart attack. I feel very bad about the little dog, but I’m amazed the by the way the heart worked, the breathing, and then the heart having trouble working and finally dying. This is important because this was you see what is happening inside a patient as you see them and you can work better. I loved it and I thank the little dog so much for helping us get through the semester and medical school with better knowledge. R.I.P. the school dog.



I want to tell about school this semester, it has been great, it has been hard, it has been awesome!

Is weird it feels like first semester but harder, because now is not only learning how to learn, or about anatomy (which IS very hard), but this one is a sort of combination between learning and reasoning and hardly sleeping. Also a lot of homework and reading every day. This feels like I always thought medicine will feel like and I like it. The only problem is I get very busy and don’t get much time to share with the ones I love and then I’m thinking “It’s so bad today. I have so much to do. I want to be writing to you, or calling home to hear my parents voice or meet up with an old friend from the other school”… but time eats me up. I see the dark and then I see the light and then I see myself in genetics class and think "Wow, is it tomorrow already"? and it is, and I have a thousand things I have to do, and a thousand more I wish I could do…


15 octubre del 2011


The pathology exam

Pathology is not an easy field but it is very important and very useful and I like it. My teacher, who is a pathologist, is a very wise man and always leads us like a group of an old times doctors (at least as I imagine how it might have been then). He always has great advice and when we have lost it he will make us see we are losing our minds over nothing. I like him but the problem is that even though he knows how to teach the 3 exams that we have are not made by him, instead by some of the hardest pathology teachers. So when we face the truth we end up reading the book 3 nights before and finding out we didn’t know anything. Last exam I studied quite some time and became first place in my class for getting a general exam result of B, which is not good (for me). Still if I'm the best in my classroom it makes me wonder about the worst and I think it is very scary… I will have another one on Friday and I’ll let you know how I did.


08 de Noviembre del 2011


The Kempe syndrome - A doctors hearbreak.

Better known as the Battered Child Syndrome. I went to the hospital today because my homework for pediatrics covers the topic Kempe syndrome. The homework: Go to the hospital find a child who has been battered and write down the clinical history. So like the good student that I am, I woke up early this morning (even though I hardly slept last night) took a shower, put on my medical clothes and made my way to the school-hospital. I went there early thinking it will be so hard to find a child who has been battered, oh naive me! There were three of them in the very same room! They have been beaten, or abandoned, you name it! Anyway, I made one interview with the nurse, checked the history, and what I found was that this little girl suffered from mental retardation due bad alimentation, from a very weird genetic syndrome, she was almost 4 years old, and couldn’t speak, couldn’t walk, couldn’t even seat by herself, she was vomiting blood, had in addition to all that anemia, plus so many other terrible things. Now ask me where the mother is? Nowhere near. She thought it wasn’t even necessary to take her to the hospital, it was the grandmother instead who took her. Imagine that happening every day, many times, and you will have a nightmare. The sad part is it happens and it will still happen everywhere despite of the socioeconomic position or geographic situation. Now all we can do is try to avoid this from happening is taking those child from the abuser and finding them a better life. I hope for it to happen and will work every day at the hospital for it to happen.


This is all roughly. I hope you are well and god bless you. I hope to write again soon. I want you to know you're always in my thoughts and will continue to work with such enthusiasm and desire as it is today.

Emilia

Update on Emilia and another round of fundraising begins....She is worth every centavo

akmaxx - 7-17-2012 at 07:58 PM

Emilia continues to excel and accelerate with her earning a coveted teaching position and contributing to new medical textbooks.

She is currently in Mulege visiting her family and she studies everyday in the hopes of earning an residency in a US hospital. It is a very select program but with her grades and attitude she has a very good chance of success.

Your help has been the rungs for her ladder on the climb to success.

The goal this time is smaller than last year because Emilia is working as a teacher so her tuition is being subsidized but not her bed, food, books, etc.

Thanks again. If you would like to contribute towards this very bright future please Paypal egvbuckovecs@gmail.com and mark it as a "gift" to save the transaction fee.

Here is a copy of her last update to all her patrons. Good karma all over this project.

Peace,

Hello dear, another semester is over, and we continue in the pursuit of a dream, firs I will like to share with you my notes:


BIOETICA Y NORMATIVIDAD ----------------------------------- 100

PROPEDEUTICA, SEMIOLOGIA Y DIAGNOSTICO FISICO --- 95

SALUD PÚBLICA II ------------------------------------------------- 100

TERAPEUTICA FARMACOLOGICA ------------------------------ 84

SEXUALIDAD HUMANA ------------------------------------------ 100

This was a great semester in what concerns to education, but not a very great one in other matter, you remember that I told you that somebody broke into my house and stole all my things? Well, while I was giving a test to the physiology students they stole the computer I bought with my savings, from the physiology lab´s office! So it was sad especially because it was most likely somebody I know and work and study with, and after all this hard time I have come to realize that this is all part of the living in a big city, and Guadalajara (perhaps because of the elections time) is crazy most of my friends have been assault and robed and some even attacked, most in this area which I would avoid if it wasn’t where the school and the hospital are, anyway I try to take everything as a part of a life lesson sometimes is hard sometimes is beautiful but is always real.

Thank you everything for making this dream possible, like I said and the start this pursuit of a dream, and this is only possible because of you! And for that I will always be so very thankful,


Now let me tell you about this classes and the experience I had in them,

BIOETICA Y NORMATIVIDAD (bioethics and regulation), it is a class about many interesting topics such as abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering applied to humans as treatment, poverty, education, and law regulation all this matters. The professor was Eugenia Milke MD. And she is a very cool person, she is one of those doctors who have a social vision of medicine and justice, and I loved the class, there were discussions about every topic and we watch movies that represented those life and medical dilemmas and we checked the law to see what is legal and what is not, an well I have a very liberal point of view in many of this topic and I defended it threw the classes even though in a very conservator environment such as Jalisco I might have seen crazy sometimes, still what you have to do in the end of the day is what the law marks as legal, anyway, it was a great class and I loved it.

PROPEDEUTICA, SEMIOLOGIA Y DIAGNOSTICO FISICO (Propaedeutic, signs and physical diagnosis), Well in this class I was lucky enough to be taught by Huitron MD, who is the chief of emergency medicine in the Hospital Civil Juan I Menchaca, and also thoughts a class of medical actualization for those who want to aspire to a residency program in Mexico, (like the US USMLE), this is his website (http://www.cursodeactualizacionmedica.com/) , and well he is a great person and an excellent doctor and I was lucky enough to have him as my professor, the class was about going to the hospital every day and doing rounds, which is going bed to bed checking on every patient and he will ask questions about the patient’s condition and treatment options, it was an amazing class, I learn so much and saw many things that are very rare to see, very uncommon disease.

SALUD PUBLICA II ( Public health II), as you might remember I had public health I on the first semester, well it was very fun but this second part was better, as we went to a community outside Guadalajara, interviewed with the population and took data to make a situational diagnosis, which is like figuring out what is wrong and what need to be done to help improve public health in that population, it was great we met many people, we talk about their problems, and our final work was a proposal to improve their situation, mine was on chronic disease, because most of the people had either diabetes or hypertension, and those 2 chronic diseases when left untreated (as in this case) can fatal, better yet, are fatal, so that is what I focus on and my professor really liked the way that the whole project turned on, and he told me that maybe next semester we can work together to do some research an publish a paper about this public health matters in this population, and if it happens you will be the first one to know.

TERAPEUTICA FARMACOLOGICA ( a doctors nightmare, sorry I mean pharmacological therapeutic), is not that it is so hard to learn about it, the hard part is to remember the hundreds of pages during the exams, you see this class is about the drugs that you use to treat a disease, and that sounds easy, except that there are so many drugs, really many, many, many, and you need to know about each one at least their name(of course! But the right one! Which is usually hcykvchrk and you go WHAT!) Oh but only the first time you read it, after ten time you are more then familiar with it, so their name, then their classification, which is the chemical group to which they belong, then the action mechanism, is it blocking a polymerase? Is it opening sodium channels? Is it?, then the pharmacokinetics, when you take it where it goes, how you process it, how you excrete it, etc., the clinical indications, when you use it and how ( this is the best part), and the toxic and side effects (all of them), now this is one of the most important classes I will ever take and I know it because you need to diagnose and treat, that is the biggest part of being a doctor, to know what the problem is and n to know how to treat it. But learning all the treatments to all the possible disease in only 6 months (actually much less because of spring break, days off, etc) is just a crazy idea! They should teach this in at least a year or more, and there universities who do teach this in more time, but not mine, anyway, it was fun and a complete mental challenge, but in top of all that I choose ( don’t ask me why!) the hardest professor of all! Her name is Marisol Conde MD and she is a plastic surgeon, and she knows soooo much! Every class she will get in the class room, start asking questions and then teaching just by telling as the whole class by memory, I mean she never used anything to remember thing just as they were writing in the books, all she uses is the blackboard and her brain she is brilliant indeed but she is also a crazy person, if somebody was outside the classroom before she got in she will get mad and scream and then go and leave as all without a class, and many other things, but above all that she is genius, and I loved her class and her impossible exams and now when my friends ask me who I took pharmacological therapeutic with I can proudly answer Marisol Conde and you always see that fearful expression in their face and they ask, and you made it? So I can proudly answer again an 84! Ha ha is funny but is true.

SEXUALIDAD HUMANA (human sexuality), this is a very interesting class and I had the most wonderful sexuality professor in the whole university, her name is Laura Flores MD and she even has her own TV show, she is great and she teaches what matters and how things should be and what to do when a patient this and a patient that, she gives to the class the approach that the student is looking for and so she makes it fun, interesting and respectful all at the same time, she is great! Her exams weren’t easy either and if you were to comment something it had to be something helpful and well backed by some scientific bibliography, it was the science of sexuality, great amazing class.

And well above all this I also thought physiology, and I had a great time doing it so.



God bless you!

Sincerely Emilia..

[Edited on 7-12-2013 by akmaxx]

Thank you GT - You have been been very supportive from the beginning. Cheers.

akmaxx - 7-18-2012 at 01:39 PM

The goal is only around $1,000 this year because Emilia received a very generous donation from the Mulege Fishing Tournament and she raised $600 over her goal last year which is being applied now.

Thanks GT for a good start.

jbcoug - 7-18-2012 at 02:45 PM

I received this letter from Emilia several weeks ago. I'll tell you, our contributions are going to a class act. Not only is she an excellent student, but also responsible and respectful. I certainly hope to meet her in person some day. We need to continue to help her as best we can, but she is the one doing the heavy lifting! I am so proud of her grades and the various recognitions she has received. This is one driven young lady. Her family and community must be very proud.
John

Thank you WN and thank you JB for your compliments.

akmaxx - 7-19-2012 at 07:44 AM

The group that has supported Emilia from the start is showing up again and really showing that "Actions express priorities" as Emilia tags her emails.

Peace,

BajaBlanca - 7-19-2012 at 07:48 AM

we may be going over to Mulege in a couple days .... how can I find Emy ?

EngineerMike - 7-19-2012 at 10:15 AM

Blanca- you go thru downtown & out the road to Loma Azul (ask anybody if you need to). You will pass Saul Davis' store on your left, and a bit farther the road ceases to be a "city" road. You will pass along the Rio Mulege estuary to your right. Its maybe a mile down on your left to an open air, ramshackle restaurant called Pancho Villa's. Pancho is Emi's father, and her mother runs the joint. Ask there and Emi will either be there or they can direct you.

Mulegena - 7-19-2012 at 10:21 AM

Blanca, contact her direct on Facebook.

RD, LK, RB thank you very much.

akmaxx - 7-19-2012 at 12:49 PM

If you want to meet Emilia she is working everyday at Pancho Villas during her "vacation" while she studies for the US MLE (residency in Seattle is the hope).

Just drive to the lighthouse and look for the extra bright girl wearing an apron.

Peace,

BajaKeela - 7-19-2012 at 10:25 PM

Akmaxx...Can I send to your paypal acc. for Emmy as in the past? still same address? Thanks. Best money I could ever spend!!!

BajaKeela - 7-19-2012 at 10:30 PM

Oops.. Akmaxx sorry about that.....just read a little more carefully and see my answer.. my donation is on it's way..

Thank you CP and JW.....

akmaxx - 7-20-2012 at 05:02 PM

Every contribution helps and a few bucks (sometimes many bucks - you know who you are) from a lot of different people really makes a difference.

Peace,

Thanks a bunch WS and JB halfway there in just a few days.....

akmaxx - 7-22-2012 at 05:29 PM

I plan on seeing just how hot Mulege is next week and I will deposit the Paypal donations directly to Emilia's school account along with all your well wishing notes.

She should be sending out thank-you's very soon.


Peace,

Thanks 2x JW....you are a prince among nomads ...we are at $700 and counting.

akmaxx - 7-24-2012 at 06:16 PM

Gracias muchisimas all.

Amongst all the other important, sad, enlightening, and strange news here I am glad to post about something very positive that will have a very happy ending.

Peace,

Thank you LL and LB for your support - $770 and climbing.

akmaxx - 7-27-2012 at 09:51 AM

I just want to reiterate that the chances of a kid from Mulege getting this far and having the opportunity to become a US certified doctor are Irish Lottery odds.

This would not have happened without your support.

Nice.

jbcoug - 7-27-2012 at 02:43 PM

It feels really, really good to be betting on a winner!

JOhn

comitan - 7-27-2012 at 03:10 PM

jbcoug

You sure called that one right.

wilderone - 7-30-2012 at 08:28 AM

Did we reach the $ goal yet?

Thanks for asking Wilder...CL's contribution has brought the total to just over $800.

akmaxx - 7-30-2012 at 09:03 AM

Emilia heads back to school on the 16th of August and I am confident she will have met this goal by then.

If you know somebody who likes this kind of patronage feel free to spread the word. Any contribution will get you at least a dozen updates, if you want them, on the development of an exceptional doctor. You will be able to tell your friends "I helped her way back before she was famous" or the like.

Peace,

BajaBlanca - 7-30-2012 at 04:08 PM

we shall get there !

EngineerMike - 8-1-2012 at 06:35 AM

Chatted briefly with Emilia yesterday and gave her a new 32gig USB drive to sequester her files going forward. Hopefully that will be secure whereas computer gear may come & go. She is excited to be working through her study book for residency placement in the U.S. the book looks like THIS.

Emi will again be receiving our scholarship stipend of $600/semester. But of course she will need much more than that to allow for her advanced study materials & such.

Mulegena - 8-1-2012 at 07:14 AM

Shared a cool drink with Emilia at the restaurant yesterday. She spoke of the opportunities that have been presented, read: opportunities earned. She is one focused young lady.

She is seriously studying for the US medical exams in addition to her Mexican exams. She explained the exam comes in three parts, given over time. The first two parts are discrete unto themselves; the third is cumulative knowledge. That she has this opportunity is tremendous.

She's also been awarded a teaching position. She observes her students and reports that many of the older people are better focused than the younger. She holds herself to the highest standard of discipline and comportment, I believe, and she appears to do this with grace and ease.

She also reported having the opportunity to attend a medical conference. A professor is the sponsor of this event and he sponsors his students' tuition which is about $1000Pesos. Otherwise she'd not be able to attend. I ask you, Nomads, imagine being on such a tight budget that having roughly $85USD discretionary funds would be out of the question.

If you've ever wished to give to a worthy cause, here it is, folks. Mulege's own native daughter Emilia. Step up, open pocket and give, please. You'll be helping make the world a finer place.

jureal - 8-1-2012 at 09:30 AM

Emi is a sure winner and I love to be on the winning team! Go Emi!!!

MS puts us over $900 - Thanks

akmaxx - 8-2-2012 at 09:09 AM

All your kind words and affirmations of Emi's potential are right on the money.

She provides the brains and determination while we kick in some bucks to sustain her.

Very cool.

Gracias Muchisimas.

EnsenadaDr - 8-2-2012 at 09:17 AM

I am currently studying for the US exams. You might want to tell Emilia to check the pass rate of her school. I found my school in Ensenada taught about 20% of the board material in the US. A very good friend of mine, Dr. Ephrain, who works in Ensenada is one of the only Mexicans who has passed the boards from my school.

jureal - 8-2-2012 at 12:33 PM

I would think that they have a good performance record as lots of US medical students attend there.

LancairDriver - 8-2-2012 at 02:39 PM

Of course the big bucks for a Doctor are in the US. so that is the prefered destination of choice for a new Doc. It would be nice to have that Medical expertise in the Mulege area however, where it is sorely needed. The US sucks up medical talent from the third world countries at a pretty good pace, if you look at the staffing of most of the big hospitals.

jureal - 8-2-2012 at 03:29 PM

You need to do your residency someplace. Why not in the US where her technical skills can be honed.

EnsenadaDr - 8-2-2012 at 04:41 PM

Many schools in Mexico have lost US funding or loans for American students because they did not fulfill the pass rate of 60% or above. What is the pass rate of Emilia's school?

Thank you GP over $900 now...almost there

akmaxx - 8-3-2012 at 03:51 PM

Emi knows which courses give her the best shot at residency in Seattle. She is very focused.

A couple of bucks more and we will have hit the goal to keep her in Top-Ramen, pencils, and clean sheets for the time being.

Thanks to all the new patrons and double thanks to the regulars who have been with her all the way.

Peace,

P.S. Lancair - Emi wants to do her year of community service in Mulege

akmaxx - 8-3-2012 at 03:55 PM

This gives Mulege one of the top students in the whole country because other students usually try to pick somewhere more exciting.

Mulege and the surrounding areas from Chivato to Posada will be very lucky to have such a dedicated provider. I hope the people with bucks from these communities can see what a bargain this is.

Almost there.....

paypal is easy and if you mark it as a "gift" there are no fees.

Paypal - egvbuckovecs@gmail.com

Cheers,

[Edited on 7-12-2013 by akmaxx]

Dont Understand

prorader - 8-3-2012 at 04:41 PM

They say she is wanting to practice in her home town? So why are we studing for US residency? Why, a Doctor in the US makes $100,000.00 US a year not $10,000.00 a year in her town if that. A 2 year residency in Seattle is a lot of US dollares, a 2 year in her home town is almost no dollaras

prorader - 8-3-2012 at 04:48 PM

A cost of living index above 100 means Seattle, WA is more expensive.

Overall, Seattle, WA cost of living is 149.10.
The national average is 100

Cost of living index...love those statistics

akmaxx - 8-3-2012 at 05:01 PM

She will do her mandatory year of public service her hometown if she can.

IF the gods are smiling she will do a US residency later which will allow her to practice anywhere she wants but if she happens to be visiting her family when illness befalls you around Mulege then you would be very lucky to have her in your corner.

Lots of variables with a twenty year old, underfunded, long-odds student who happens to be really focused, bright, and determined.

I'm betting on Emi.

The cost of living index in Mulege must be something like .5 compared to Seattle. I spent ten years in Seattle and it's on par with Manhattan for costs for most things.

Let's worry about that after she raises enough money to kick butt one more year.

Cheers,

EnsenadaDr - 8-3-2012 at 05:17 PM

There are no specific courses in Mexican medical school that will help you pass the US exam. The quality and level of Mexican medical school is nowhere near the standards that are necessary to pass the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam).

prorader - 8-3-2012 at 05:59 PM

I think it is 2 years of public service, and the Mexican government decides where you do it, maybe not you choice. That is what I hear from Mexican Doctors

EnsenadaDr - 8-3-2012 at 06:35 PM

If there is an opening Prorader in Mulege, then Emilia can choose the position to do her internship and/or public service there.

prorader - 8-5-2012 at 03:54 PM

I would think doing your internship among family, neighbors and friends would be taking the easy way out. These folks have been cheering you on for 4 years, are they now going to give you a failing or bad mark, if you make a mistake? The question is if you make real good grades does that make you a real good Doctor? I do not live there so it is you that must decide Books or Flesh.

Whistler....stuck at just over $900....reach out a little further I guess.

akmaxx - 8-5-2012 at 09:33 PM

She has a few days before heading back to school and I know many of her supporters don't follow this board in the summer. Someone will kick in the remainder soon and off she goes again.

Thanks all.

Neal Johns - 8-6-2012 at 07:07 AM

akmaxx,
Check your U2U message.

_ .... ._ _. _._ ... Here's to people who really dig deep. NJ, CL, NO take us over the finsih line in style

akmaxx - 8-6-2012 at 11:09 AM

Thank you very much Patrons. Emilia will have a grin from ear to ear when I tell her how many people believe in her and her goals.

You are an outstanding cast of characters in an unscripted play that is sure to win an "EMI" at the Pearly Gates.:saint:

Peace and a very good day to you all.

M.

BajaBlanca - 8-6-2012 at 01:53 PM

way to go !!! whoohooo for another semester of brilliant studies to such a deserving woman.....

thanks akmaxx for doing such a great job at promoting this jewel !!!


:biggrin::bounce:

EngineerMike - 8-8-2012 at 12:02 AM

I don't believe Emi could do her social service time in Mulege, per se. The Salud clinic in Mulege is better than it was (much enlarged after Hurricane Jimena), but isn't really a full time charge for a doctor. I believe the "station" would be the "hosiptal" so called in Santa Rosalia (I've been there delivering donations, and its not exactly a real hospital). As the county seat, the Sta.Rosalia station would mean she makes rounds to the various Salud properties in the Municipio (equivalent to a county).

If Emi wants to pursue her initially intended specialty in brain surgery, she has to first become an accredited surgeon, then do a specialty in neurosurgery. With the best brain practices proliferating in the United States, to do a U.S. residency would be a fairly basic requirement for consideration for any of the high end brain practices (can't practice in the U.S. if not licensed here, and residents need to be able to practice). Finishing at Lemar, Guadalajara, will get Emi licensed, but the specialty elements will take continued focus, and Emi has her vision set well out in the future. As far as the MLE's, her biggest challenge will be medical English IMO. But with her study ethic, capacity, and indomitable attitude, I'd say Emi has as good a shot as anybody attempting residency from Mexico, including at least most naturally English speaking students.

EnsenadaDr - 8-8-2012 at 12:32 AM

The sad thing, is, Mike, is that the Mexican schools are not preparing the students, American, English Speaking, or otherwise to pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam. This is the prerequisite and the ticket to getting residency in the US. The pass rate in Guadalajara is extremely low, through mostly the fault of the Mexican medical schools. From the mouth of a Mexican that went to my medical school and passed the exam, but with a low score, the residency exam in Mexico compared to the residency exam in the US is a "joke". Finishing in Guadalajara will NOT get Emi licensed, she has to pass the exams, and there are 3 steps of the exam. Then and only then will she be able to work in the US. The students that do pass the exams have results that are so low that many do not find residency programs in the United States through the MATCH program.

comitan - 8-8-2012 at 06:01 AM

Emi
I believe she will complete her medical school here in Mexico, then will make her decision as to her next goal. Whatever that may be she will accomplish that goal.

Jaybo - 8-8-2012 at 09:07 AM

I just sent a few dollars in hopes she uses it to go out to a nice dinner or some other fun activity since the funds needed appeared to be already reached..

:)

EngineerMike - 8-8-2012 at 09:11 AM

Education in my experience is about how much you put into it. While I have seen great schools lift the performance of marginal students to some extent, I also see lousy schools fail to hold back the determined.

Emilia in my estimation, is an outlier. She does not ask what is needed to succeed, she asks what is needed to excel. And her approach to the MLE's will be much improved by her experience with the tuition scholarship at Guadalajara (initial failure followed by dogged perseverance). She has started preparation for the exam with appropriate lead time, and the right materials, and is consulting appropriate advice about how to proceed. More importantly though, Emi is pursuing an appropriate overall trajectory at school so as to exceed the average by as much as possible (outlier), and building a fat safety factor into the level of her preparation. I'm sure when she meets the MLE's that it won't be like hitting a tack with a sledge hammer. But she go prepared.

EnsenadaDr - 8-8-2012 at 09:49 AM

You are wrong. I have seen the best and the brightest in Mexico fail miserably with the US boards. The US Medical schools start preparing their students from day 1 till they take Step 1 of the Boards. The Mexican medical schools does about 10% needed to pass the Boards. Reading and studying on your own is not enough, especially if you are still in Medical school in Mexico and have other classes demanding most of your time.

EngineerMike - 8-8-2012 at 09:55 AM

Fortunately I've been wrong a lot before, so I have prior experience at it. :P
(maybe I'll finally get good at it?)

Sharrone - 8-8-2012 at 10:17 AM

Good luck Emilia! Just sent a few bucks.

EnsenadaDr - 8-8-2012 at 10:28 AM

Emi will need the money though. To be honest I don't know how Mexicans make it through medical school. There are no loans available, and I worked my first five years and had government US loans, so I think it is wonderful you are helping her.

EngineerMike - 8-8-2012 at 11:15 AM

" To be honest I don't know how Mexicans make it through medical school."

In this instance, to paraphrase Pogo: "It was us." The community of Nomads.
Reminds me of the story of the great storm that washed thousands of starfish up on the beach. A small girl was going along the shore, tossing starfish back into the ocean. A man remarked to her, "why are you doing that? You can't possibly make a difference here, there are too many starfish." The girl replies, "I'll make a difference to this one," and she tossed another into the sea. True story, but the names have been changed.

Cypress - 8-8-2012 at 11:46 AM

Emilia, Hang in there! It's gonna be worth all your trials and tribulations when your dream finally comes true.

Need Laptop Delivery

Posada-BushPilot - 8-10-2012 at 04:54 PM

I have a late model laptop that Emily could use. Is anyone headed down soon?

I could ship it to you pronto.

U2U or email: randykephart@yahoo.com

luv2fish - 8-11-2012 at 08:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Posada-BushPilot
I have a late model laptop that Emily could use. Is anyone headed down soon?

I could ship it to you pronto.

U2U or email: randykephart@yahoo.com


WOW !!!! Outstanding

Paging Doctor Villavicencio...An update from a Nomads success story...skip to the end for the update

akmaxx - 4-10-2013 at 02:13 AM

A young shining star of Mexico continues to light up medical school with high grades and a plan for success.

Emilia is teaching courses for students prepping for the USMLE (admittance to residency in the USA) with the goal of using the teaching for four semesters as a method to prep for the test four times as much as your average student. The university pays her a pittance to teach but it is obviously a more economical method than paying to take the class for one semester.

Emilia's stated goal now is to perform her residency in the NW (most likely Portland) with a focus on neurosurgery. Emilia has found some generous Nomads and others to help her financially in Portland when she passes the USMLE (fingers crossed). She is focused on knocking out a few more years in Mexico and then passing the US exams.

For those of you who have read this whole thread you remember that premature Baby Lino had health problems when he was born. Recently Baby Lino had to travel to La Paz to see a kidney specialist and I was lucky enough to see Emilia in action as she reviewed their findings and gave her opinion. It was in spanish too rapid for me to follow but I believe she concurred with most of their findings and added some insightful commentary as well. Emilia did this on her very short spring break while visiting family in the Baja.

I am pasting her most recent update to her many Nomad patrons here because I may have not forwarded your email information correctly to Emilia (She is very conscientious in updating her many patrons whether they gave $5 three years ago or $1,000 recently - you know who you are :saint:). Those of you not on her patron email list may just want to follow a long-shot feel-good story through to the residency and diploma

I feel very lucky to be a witness to the hard work, intelligence, and determination of this young lady and wouldn't hesitate to be the first under her knife when she completes her training.

Peace,

_________________________________________
From Emilia Villavicencio -

I’m in 6th semester now! It’s amazing! And I’m very happy

Now, 6th semester is a very hard one, I knew this before the semester started because my friends from 7th semester told me, at first I refuse to believe them but after a week I was so tired and so sleepy and had so much to do! So then I realized it was true, it hard, very hard… and as usual, me a lover of the challenge with a pinch of very naïve decided to take the hardest block (which is a denomination of a group of professors you get to choose) and now I’m learning a lot but sleeping a little.


I’m taking the following classes:

Obstetrics and gynecology

Pediatrics

Neurology

Infectious disease

Palliative medicine

Geriatrics

Rehab medicine

Basic surgical techniques

My favorites are neurology, basic surgical techniques and palliative medicine, but the ones that require most of my time (because of the program, because they are something absolutely new) are obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics.

So as you can see the difficult part of this is the time as you only have a semester to learn everything there is to know about birth, about pregnancy, about woman’s health, about children from when they are born to when they become adults, about the brain (anatomy, physiology, physiopathology, pathology, and all the vary many syndromes that can affect it), about palliative care and how important it is to know that death is just a part of life and that we will all end there, about infectious diseases and what bacteria causes what and you treat the patient with that, about geriatrics (I love that one too btw) and the care in the end of life, basic surgical techniques is about operating on a dog in a small room that is set up as an Operating Room, and so on.

After all of this as you know I have been teaching physiology, pathophysiology and therapeutics for a year now, and I’m also in charge of the conferences that go on once a month.

If that wasn’t enough I have also been helping a group of doctors that go to the community of those in the most need of medical care a deliver it for free, so once a month in a Saturday I go to a small town outside of Guadalajara and among other doctors help all the people we can get medical advice and sometimes treatment.

So that is the reason why I’m tired, some days very, others barely, but ALWAYS happy!

Thank you very much for standing behind me among this journey, thank you for helping me become the doctor I have always dream to be, thank you for giving me the opportunity of changing from being a little girl from a little town with a lot of hope and good intentions to a medical student who is acquiring more knowledge everyday, thank you for never letting me down, thank you for thinking of me and sending me good vibes, thank you for your help, thank you so very much, you are my angel and because of you is that I get to be where I’m right now, I keep you in my prayers every night.

Sincerely,

La Doctora Emilia



...Action expresses priorities...


EngineerMike - 4-10-2013 at 05:05 PM

To me that looks like 2 hard classes, 6 dam hard classes, teaching, & volunteering for two activities a month!!! That's what I call a schedule.

We should harness a generator to Emi & see if she could power a small town at the same time!!

The little girl who IS becoming a brain surgeon

akmaxx - 7-12-2013 at 03:36 PM

Those of you who have been following this thread for three years and those of you who have just finished reading up to this point should be in awe of the accomplishments of this amazing woman.

Emilia has deadly earnest focus on doing her residency in the United States, probably Portland, and has overcome gigantic hurdles to become a star in her university.

Please join with me and renew your pledge to keep her in school, in noodles, in a safe place, etc so she can continue burning the candle at both ends to achieve her goals.

Help her by re-reading this thread and witness all the people who have become patrons and been touched by her strength and determination. It also would help to comment or forward this thread for more visibility if you know someone who likes a feel-good story with such enormous potential.

She will be a doctor, brain surgeon, and maybe your lifesaver one day. Not too shabby for a Mulegena from down by the lighthouse.

Paypal donations have been the most economical way of becoming a patron and the hundreds of little donations (and a few big ones) were messing up my Paypal so Emilia has started her own account (egvbuckovecs@gmail.com). Every patron will still receive a thank-you and an update every semester of the exemplary student they are supporting.

Emilia has lived a very frugal student life up to this point and needs to keep the momentum going to keep the excellent grades.

Peace,

M.

P.S. Paypal is egvbuckovecs@gmail.com

The Latest Note for the Patrons of The Little Girl Who Would Become a Brain Surgeon.

----------------------------------------


I'm very happy to share with you the big news! The dreaded sixth semester is finally over!!! It was by far the hardest semester after the first semester and the traditionally hardest semester in medical school but WE made it!

I could have never done it without your help, thank you so much for being behind me in every step. You are the reason I'm able to become a doctor and I always keep you in my prayers, I thank God every morning for making you my angels.

I can't wait to go home and see my family and friends because I really need a break to prepare for the next semester.

These are my notes this semester and let me assure you I worked as hard as I have ever worked to get them....The average is 92 or an A- (Converting to US grading in preparation for my US residency - fingers crossed).


Basic Surgical Techniques ---------- 95
Infectious Disease -------------------- 80
Palliative Medicine ------------------- 98
Pediatrics ------------------------------- 86
Neurology ------------------------------ 100
OB GYN ------------------------------- 85
Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine ------- 100

Like I said it was very hard but not impossible! So here I am. Ready for a little rest and then back to school!

Next semester I will have classes in oncology, hematology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, etc and it will be another three months buried in homework but I now get to volunteer my skills in hands-on clinics around Guadalajara so my training is being developed.

For those of you that heard about the third burglary you will be happy to know that my roomates and I have decided to try and live in a safer part of town (since the third burglary which cost me my utilities monies). Guadalajara is indeed the big city and as medical students we aren't home enough to really protect our belongings in this part of town. It will be better once we find an apartment with better security.

I want to thank you once more for everything you have done for me, your donations have been making this dream possible. It is hard to believe that three years have passed since your help got me into medical school and your continued help has made it possible for me to maintain the some of the highest grades in the whole university.

So I tell you thank you! Really, THANK YOU!

Sincerely,


la Doctora Emilia G. Villavicencio B

[Edited on 7-14-2013 by akmaxx]

BajaBlanca - 7-12-2013 at 07:35 PM

I just got this via email ... And it brought tears to my eyes! What an amazing future doctor! One day, i want to meet her .....

BajaNomad - 7-12-2013 at 11:10 PM

EngineerMike - 7-13-2013 at 10:57 AM

Emi continues to be one of the best return-on-investment places to put money that I know.

Emi- you have both my contribution, and my continued confidence. Keep up the good work. One thing the thieves cannot steal is your expanding accumulation of knowledge & skills.

Ricardo - 7-13-2013 at 09:48 PM

Hi could someone let me know the paypal name for donations, I noticed one ended with Hotmail, the other ended with gmail. I need to know which one is correct.
Rick
 Pages:  1    3    5