Greetings from Ibarra, Ecuador!
We were literally thrown right into the fire as soon as we got here and it’s been non stop ever since.
Our flight and travels were pretty easy and uneventful for the most part. Lost only one bag out of 15 checked bags, and it was a bag filled with over $7,000.00 worth of prosthetics. And more if you include the 2 electronic computerized legs that are worth about $15K each. Fortunately, the bag was traced, found, and arrived at the clinic 4 days after we did.
Our new home for the next 2 months is perched high above the city with an amazing 120 degree view of Ibarra and the mountain side. It’s a bit of a walk down into town, but it’s a great way to make sure we’re working off all the great food we’re eating.
We were introduced to the clinic the second day here and have had our lives changed from that moment on. We starting shooting footage right away and each day there has been more and more to cover.
A couple of days ago, a bus of children needing prosthetics or braces arrived from an area at least a 10 hour drive away. There were 15 patents who needed to be evaluated, and casted for either braces or prosthetic limbs. 
One 4 year old boy, Maykel, is a 4 limb genetic amputee who was the life of the day for everyone. His mobility was like any other 4 year old and his attitude was that of someone I could only wish to acquire for myself some day. Maykel was an inspiration for us all. He reminded me that life really is wonderful and should be cherished. You just need to slow down, smile, and enjoy every moment.
After putting my camera away after lunch, I was thrown into assisting patients and quickly learned how to pronounce unusual names and to prepare plaster casts.
We have limited internet, but we can get and send basic emails without too much trouble so far. Photos and videos may be another issue all together. As soon as I can, I plan on going to an internet cafe to try uploading more fun visuals.
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Jaime Byrd is an award winning director, DP, and editor for Blind Lyle Films. She studied Fine Arts and Music at California State University of Los Angeles. She is now producing a documentary in Ecuador for the Prosthetics For Life Foundation.
She has produced, directed, and/or edited multiple shorts, a TV pilot, several award winning commercials, an award winning web series, multiple documentaries, a cooking show, and music videos.
She helped produce the TV pilot show “Talker” (featuring Jay Thomas, Tim Matheson, and Sharon Lawrence), which won best actor, best director, and best comedy at the 2011 International TV awards in Los Angeles.
