Rural medicine

One of the most challenging things for me these last two months is the driving. I don't like driving. Nearly everyone who knows me knows this. I think it's a learned fear from when I was younger. My mom doesn't like driving and is nervous about it. My dad insisted on driving me everywhere through college.

And now I'm living alone in Iowa, specifically in a town near the Minnesota border. And how did I get here? I drove myself through a storm. I've driven 600 miles in the last month. I never thought I'd be able to do that.


Last week, I was forced into so many situations that were dangerous but I had to drive anyway. On Wednesday, I was at a small clinic in Edgewood, Iowa (a town of 800 people). There was a tornado watch in the evening as we were wrapping up clinic. The sky turned a dark grayish green and the rain started to beat in sheets. My attending told me to drive back to Manchester, which is where I was living (at the hospital). It was 16 miles away. I ran to my car and drove. It was so scary to not be able to see or hear anything, and to be blinded by each passing car throwing light and water on my already-furious wipers. I'm not familiar with the country roads (I'd only been to Edgewood once prior) and I might as well have had my eyes closed the entire time. It was so scary, all I could think of was that it wouldn't be a bad way to die--to not be able to see or hear anything around me.

But by God, I made it safely.

The same was true for the next day. I almost hit a deer at 70 mph. I saw a shadow and when I realized what it was, I braked harder than I've ever braked in my life. The deer ran off. It was a one-lane country highway so I couldn't pull over to catch my breath. So I did what any sane person would, dial her phone furiously in hopes of reaching someone.

I'm now stationed at yet another rural hospital, almost 3 hours away from Iowa City. I left my apartment when the sun was still sleeping. It was dark and it was rainy. Everything was a shiny blur. There were three accidents 10 miles out of town. I got so tired and discouraged 2 hours into the drive. Then I saw California Ave and smiled. This Californian girl is doing all right.


Which brings me to today. I have to drive 10 miles to an adjacent town for clinic most days for the next month. It's supposed to snow starting on Friday, and have poor visibility and traction. I'm terrified. I think God has been training me thus far, slowly building me up to endure something as challenging as driving in the snow--in a storm--at night in pitch black--in 40 mph winds--on country roads. It's been a stepwise progression. First he put me 70 miles away from home, then 85, then 170 miles away, then 180 miles away. Each time increasing my endurance and adding a new challenge.

Please pray for safety this next month. My little car and I are trying to make it together.