·         Meet Clara at Antigua bus station (behind mercado)  0745

Dona (nurse): " I was fortunate to have the opportunity this past weekend to accompany Partner for Surgery (a non-profit group that develops connections in remote regions to facilitate access to needed surgeries) in returning three patients (one woman and two small children, accompanied by their mothers) to their homes following their surgeries.  The first patient we dropped off was an adult who had a vaginal hysterectomy, and her family made lunch for us.  This patient actually works for Partner for Surgery as a community health worker.  As a local, she is able to

Today, Pami, our general surgeon, performed surgery on a 33 year old male who required removal of a lesion on his right foot.  He had been complaining of swelling and discomfort for some time and the surgeon thought that this might be due to a cyst.  During the operation, however, the surgeon discovered that the culprit was a foreign body - specifically, an old bullet!!  (see our Facebook Link for a photo).  The patient then recalled that he had been shot about 10 years ago during a home invasion in Guatemala....he has been given the bullet as a "souvenir"! 

Don:  " This week, we saw a young boy of 5 years who travelled 48+ hours with his family to come to the hospital.  He was born with a bilateral cleft palate and lip but his parents were not aware, until most recently, that this significant problem could be rectified through surgery.  Typically, a young patient who requires both a cleft palate and lip repair will have those surgeries performed on two separate occasions.  But, we knew that the likelihood of this particular boy returning for a subsequent surgery would be slim given that his family lived in such a remo

How do you say..."when was the last time you had something to drink or eat?" "the operation is finished and you are doing well"  "you can wake up now and open your eyes" "are you feeling cold?" ..These are common communications with our patients and/or parents of young patients, during their pre and immediate post-recovery care.  Translations are posted on the walls for our nurses to reference.  Some of our team members speak Spanish well, some speak a bit, some perhaps not at all.  Thank goodness we have wonderful volunteer translators during our mission to enable

Carl:   "A patient who clearly had terrible cholecystitis (daily debilitating pain) underwent a very difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy today (Friday).  She very nearly had her common bile duct ligated due to terrible inflammation.  Fortunately, a collaborative effort among the 3 general surgeons avoided this life-altering complication for her.  The operation was a success and we anticipate a full recovery for her over the next few days."

A few of the nurses visited Casa de Fe today where our patients & families who must travel far distances to the hospital, are provided with accommodation and meals during their hospital stay.  Some of the patients have already been discharged to Casa de Fe from the hospital so the nurses provided some additional post-operative care and education to support their recovery. Donated toys, including the popular "soccer balls", were received with big smiles by the kiddies there, while some sweets & toiletries were shared with the adult patients.

Jim (General Surgeon)"Had a successful day in general surgery. 7 patients had their gallbladders removed and all were tough cases!  All were done through laparoscopic means (no abdominal incisions)!"
Brian (Gyne Surgeon) "We did 5 surgeries today in under 6 hours - all were a great success!"
Carl (General Surgeon) "Good day - we performed 5 gallbladder operations on adults and one hernia repair for a 12 year old girls.  All the patients are doing well. Great teamwork here!!"

Stay tuned as we post updates from the OR!