Treating - and seeing - the needy
By taking students to Ecuador, Nicholas Bower hopes to give more than medicine.
By Lucia Herndon
Inquirer Columnist
To say Nicholas Bower is driven is an understatement. More divinely inspired.
Bower, 26, is a third-year student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. On top of his full-time studies, the Williamsport native has established a medical mission in Ecuador called Physicians for Humanity. Bower organizes groups of PCOM students to spend a month in the South American country working with local doctors in the underserved area around Guayaquil.
Bower's interest in Ecuador dates back to a trip he made in high school as part of mission work for the Catholic Church. "I got to know the people and made some connections with a nun there," Bower said. In 2002 he returned to help provide medical care with the doctors and nurses he had met on his first trip. That's when he knew he wanted to make other medical students aware of the need.
"I started speaking to students about working in this region of the world. I wanted them to see the beauty of the people and develop a deeper appreciation for cultures outside ours in America."
Bower hopes not only to provide medical attention to those in need but also for the students "to go down there with open hearts, open eyes, and see people as they really are and what they need. It's a chance to really understand each other."
The first group of students spent a month in Ecuador last year, taking medical supplies and equipment along with them. They worked in an infectious disease clinic and a leprosy clinic and provided eye care.
Bower has worked hard to get discounted airfares to Ecuador as well as to line up medical supplies. He's also helping PCOM students learn Spanish. Students stay with families while working in the often-rustic clinics.
Another trip is planned for next month, with eight students accompanying Bower. "In osteopathic medicine we are trained to look at the whole person: body, mind and spirit," said Bower. "It's important that the volunteers keep that philosophy in mind as they do international medical service."
Bower is working on getting nonprofit status for Physicians for Humanity so it can accept tax-deductible donations to aid the effort. This will be very helpful as he tries to raise $1.1 million to build a health center in Guayaquil, one that will include a clinic, a hospital, housing for doctors and students, and gardens.
It's quite a load for Bower, who admits that his Ecuador work, coupled with his studies, leaves him "treading water most of the time."
"But I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
