The following letter, written by Andrew Wheeler, health care principal for GKK Works of Irvine, California, was sent to Jesse Mock, vice president for facilities and environment, Loma Linda University Medical Center. The letter and photos are used by permission.

I had taken my family to Peru for our vacation this year to visit my wife’s family in Lima as well as to experience an adventure in the Andes and the Amazon jungle. By the time we made it to Iquitos on the banks of the Amazon, the change in diet and environment had caused my wife to become quite ill.

On the day we were to venture deep into the jungle to stay for a few days in an area without electricity, it was apparent that she was in no condition to continue.

I went to the front desk of the small hostel where we were staying and asked if they could locate a doctor. Much to my surprise, they indicated that they had called a clinic and were sending an ambulance to assess the situation. At this point, I was concerned about who they might have called and where they might be taking us.

The ambulance arrived within a few minutes and I was again surprised that both the doctor and the nurse had personally responded to the call.

After assessing my wife’s condition they determined we needed to go to the hospital to replenish her lost fluids. So our kids and I accompanied my wife in the ambulance.

Once we arrived at the clinic, they were quick to start the IV and begin lab tests. While we were in the waiting room I began to look at the picture on the wall—of Jesus watching over a family concerned over their child’s condition.

As I looked more closely, I noticed that the background of the painting bore a very close resemblance to the lobby at LLUMC. I told the doctor that I recognized the location in the painting and was sure it was at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California.

He then acknowledged that a group of doctors from Loma Linda visit the clinic regularly to help train them on new medical procedures and treatment methods. Apparently, one of the doctors had brought the painting on a previous visit.

The entire visit including the house-call, ambulance, ED visit, IV, lab tests and antibiotics was $45. We received excellent attention and my initial concerns about the quality of the care we would receive were unwarranted.

I was proud to be associated with an organization that is providing great benefit to not only those of us who have the means to receive quality medical care, but has reached out to improve the quality of medical care to the poor worldwide, even in a frontier town like Iquitos, Peru.