A Toast to Dr. Diego Quesada!

Here is to Dr. Diego Quesada!

Last night at about 7:50 there was a monkey jumping on our bed. Given that we are in Costa Rica, amidst a bamboo forest, this could have literally been a monkey. In our case, it was Tae. And, as many monkeys do, this monkey fell off the bed but a bit harder than usual, straight onto his face on a hardwood floor. Result--gaping cut in his chin!

The family rallied quickly around him, reducing his cries to mere whimpers with a spirited and relaxing rendition of "Puff the Magic Dragon," currently one of Tae's favorite tunes. Meanwhile the wonderful staff at Vista del Valle (our hotel) recommended that we take him not to the hospital (which would inevitably result in a three hour ER wait) but instead to Dr. Diego Quesada, who ran a clinic in nearby Rosario de Naranjo. Dr. Quesada, they said, was just starting his evening office hours at 8 p.m. I couldn't believe a doctor was just going to work at 8 p.m. I haven't heard of such a thing since my friends finished their residencies.

Rigo, a staff member here, graciously drove us the seven km to Dr. Quesada's office. The road was dark, narrow, curvy and often filled with pedestrians. Rigo nonetheless zipped along at lightning speed and we must thank both God and his catlike reflexes that our roller-coaster journey ended with all of us safe and, as far as we can tell, all the pedestrians safe as well.

Dr. Quesada saw us immediately. No wait at all. His clean office featured his desk, an examination table, a bright examination light, an opthamologist's machine--in addition to general medicine, he is also an opthamologist--and his guitar. Tae had fallen asleep in Tara's arms even before our car-ride and remained asleep even as she lay him on the examination table. Riley and Baker each commented that the wound on Tae's chin looked like a tiny mouth all made up with lipstick. That was an utterly perfect description.

When Dr. Quesada broke out the needle to give Tae's chin a few shots of anesthesia, the rest of the family got a bit queasy and I stepped in to sooth Tae as he received the shots. Turns out he barely needed it. He slept through the first two shots and calmly accepted two more. (Don't worry--they were four very small shots.) Dr. Quesada next expertly sewed up the wound with five stitches. Since we will no longer be in the area five days from now when Tae's stitches are to be removed, he gave me a small scalpel and showed me how to take them out myself. I took biology in ninth grade and was damn good at dissecting a frog, so I am pretty sure I can handle it.

Dr. Quesada also told us he and his wife were expecting their first child next week--by adoption. We could see his excitement about becoming a father and perhaps even his joy at meeting another adoptive family just a week before he and his wife finalized that decision in their life. We wish him the very best.

I did a double-take as we checked out. The receptionist said that this fast, friendly, high-quality service was going to set us back...12,000 Colones. That's a whopping $20.52. Can you imagine the cost we would have paid in the US? And the wait we would have endured in an ER? I am sure you can. In our case, Tae was snuggled back in bed--not jumping--at 9:15, just an hour and half after the accident first occurred.

We'll post a photo of Tae's barbilla later. Don't have one now.

Right now, it is time to go celebrate Riley's birthday!! She is 8!