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By MARIE WOOD

Micayla Mann combined her two passions – global travel and helping people – when she joined the Minnesota Doctors for People medical mission trip to San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala, for a week in March.

“Sign me up!” Micayla said. “I’ve always loved traveling and helping people. Getting to do both at once was like a dream come true. To travel with a purpose was more exciting – to actually do something good and make lives better in even a small way.” A certified medical assistant in Mankato Clinic Dermatology, Micayla joined Dr. Cathy Davis, Mankato Clinic pediatrician and dermatology provider, who led a team of medical volunteers and interpreters to provide free health care in Guatemala.

Partnering with Friends of San Lucas and based out of the San Lucas Mission, the Minnesota Doctors for People team sets up pop-up primary care clinics in remote villages where medical care is very limited. They were one of the first teams to visit the region since early 2020.

Serving

Home to the Highland Maya people, San Lucas Toliman sits on the shores of Lake Atitlan surrounded by volcanoes, rolling hills and Mayan villages. Micayla was struck by the beauty of the country and people. “They’re the best people in the world. They were all so gracious. I loved how kind and grateful, how loving they all were,” Micayla said. Even people on the street would thank her and tell her they pray for her, her work and a safe return.

Despite their smiles, life is not easy. In Guatemala, known for growing coffee, manual labor is a way of life. Micayla also watched women weave colorful tapestries, rugs and clothing on large wooden looms. The work is painstaking. She saw men carrying large loads on their backs that included sticks to heat their homes and cook their food. “The men are carrying rocks and bricks in their load up hill and downhill all day long. The loads weigh more than them.” After arriving at the mission in the evening and eating dinner, the team hit the road the next morning to set up and run the first of four clinics. The team was able to care for 166 patients. Each day in clinic, Micayla cared for people with malnutrition, vision problems, headaches, coughs, back pains. One elderly woman, only weighing 59 pounds, had a large hernia visible through her clothes. Sadly, all they could do for her was refer her for surgery. Micayla recalled a child of about 18 months who was seeing a doctor for the first time. He wasn’t meeting milestones – he couldn’t play peek-a-boo, hold his head up or stand. “We don’t think he’s going to make it long. It made you cry on the first day.” One 4-year-old boy was roughly the size of a 2-year-old boy, due to malnutrition. “It really hits you to see how malnourished they are. They just don’t have the food we have here,” Micayla said

Souvenirs

With a cheat sheet made by the interpreter, Micayla began learning Spanish. She learned common phrases to greet patients, ask why they came to the clinic, ask to take their blood pressure and tell them to have a seat. She learned to say “breakfast is delicious” so she could compliment the cooks. When Micayla returned home, she got a new tattoo of her Guatemala passport stamp on her arm. Her arm is covered with tattoos of her passport stamps: South Africa, Spain, Australia, Budapest and others. Micayla looks forward to more travels and missions!

Minnesota Doctors for People

Minnesota Doctors for People, based in Mankato, brings free health care to Guatemala and the Chiapas region of Mexico. Teams of 10-12 people – medical doctors, nurses, interpreters and pharmacy assistants – travel to remote rural areas and set up free medical clinics. ■

To donate or volunteer for Minnesota Doctors for People, visit mndoctors.org

Photos submitted by Micayla Mann

Today we visited Colonia San Andres for our second clinic. We set up the clinic in a small house which was very nice. My favorite part of the day was seeing all the kids and hearing them laugh. …The people are so friendly and I’m so blessed to be able to be part of this experience. – Micayla

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Visit mankatoclinic.com/join-our-team

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