I first heard about Cosmos HealthCare through my local church, when three members from a recent trip to India were invited to speak of their experiences. I had no hesitation in putting my name forward to join the next trip as an enrolled nurse. To my delight I was selected, and before I knew it I was on the plane!Rural India was very green and very beautiful, but you have to mix that with the extreme poverty that covers this land.

People presented at the Kandili clinic with all sorts of problems. I was able to help many people on the spot with minor problems, such as providing them with medicine for pain relief, heartburn and medicine for general aches related to inflammatory conditions. I felt unsure if these people could understand why we gave these medicines and whether they were able to remember when and how much to take each day, and for how long.

Our translators were fantastic at explaining everything to our patients, but I found it a challenge to give medications without being totally sure that my patient understood exactly what I was prescribing. I had to surrender to God to gain confidence that we had done what was right, to the best of our ability and pass the responsibility of ongoing management to others once they left our care.

This trip to India really broadened my knowledge of how other people live, compared to our way of life in Australia. It has taught me to value life more than possessions, and commit to sharing and helping others in need. Be thankful to God for your life and health. In India life is a constant struggle to get a meal on the table, and without adequate food, illness results. Once ill, there is limited hope of recovery due to insufficient health care settings. For people in rural areas, the distance and cost to get to the nearest clinic is often a profound obstacle.

I hope this brings insight and opens your heart to maybe one day serve these people, or at least continue to pray for Cosmos' ongoing partnership with India, and for future teams heading to India.