A team of nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists from Texas Children’s Hospital’s Main Operating Room recently participated in a medical mission in Antigua, Guatemala.
The mission was coordinated by Faith in Practice, a Houston-based organization dedicated to the medical care of indigent people in Guatemala. The 44-member team that went consisted of medical and surgical staff from hospitals in the Medical Center and out of state. Among the volunteers from Texas Children’s were Drs. Olutoyin Olutoye, Oluyinka Olutoye, Robert Power, David Mann and Stephanie Cruz; certified registered nurse anesthetists Nate Jones and Megan Koudelka; and registered nurses Karen Bustos, Debra Batiste and Juan Sale.
Focusing primarily on pediatric patients, the team performed nearly 140 surgeries in just four days, including inguinal and umbilical hernias, orthopedic surgeries, podiatric cases, and dental extractions conducted in support of the people of Antigua.
“It is always a humbling experience to go on this mission trip,” said Bustos, who has been on the mission five times now. “These people come from villages eight to 10 hours away and come to us full of trust that we will make their children well.”
Sale, a first-time volunteer, said the trip was “an amazing experience, especially when you get to help the children.”
Glass, the group coordinator for Texas Children’s, said she has been participating in similar mission trips since 2002 and has gone to Guatemala 15 times.
“This activity is open to all surgeons, operating room nurses, anesthesia staff, recovery room nurses, and especially bilingual people,” Glass said, adding that financial donations will help support the mission as well as donation of unused OR supplies.
According to the organization’s website, Guatemala is considered extremely impoverished in comparison to other South American countries. Half of Guatemala’s 14 million people live in poverty, which is defined as living on less than $2 per day. In addition, the vast majority of Guatemalans have virtually no access to public health care.
In spite of these deficiencies, The Faith in Practice organization has made a significant impact on the people of Guatemala. In 2015 alone, 1,200 US volunteers travelled to Guatemala to participate in the mission activities coordinated by Faith in Practice. As a result, a total of 2,400 surgical procedures were performed and 25,000 Guatemalan patients were seen by the medical mission teams. Texas Children’s Hospital is extremely proud of this team and their selfless dedication to service.