Medical Mission Group Many of the people in Guatemala that have operable disabilities never have the chance to receive a surgery that can ultimately change their life. El Faro had the chance to partner with our wonderful friends from Medical Mission Group this past month for our fourth surgery team. From our Kirst mission with them, our relationship with the Children’s Hospital has been wonderful thanks to our dear friend Dr. Velasquez. Dr. Velasquez is one of the head surgeons at the hosptial and the staff graciously opens up their doors to us each trip to use their facilities and nurses, something that very few places would allow. We had patients travel from far and wide just to have the opportunity to see if they could qualify for an operation. One group of three families traveled two days to El Faro after hearing about the free operations and all three of their children had the chance to be operated. The Kirst day of screenings gives the doctors a chance to see what type of cases there are and also to help build the weekly schedule. This year we had cleft lips and pallets, hernias, masses and cysts, burns, and gallbladders that needed removal. Throughout the wonderful team of surgeons, nurses, and volunteers worked diligently on the many patients that came through their operating doors. Some of the MMG doctors had been here before and it was nice being able to work with them again. As for the rest, it was nice getting to meet new people and see their gifts and action. One special case included a young boy named Axel. He is 12 years old and had a mass on his face since he was young. Now a teenager, his facial problem has begun to affect him in his studies and self esteem. He was a wonderful boy to be around and the doctors were able to operated to reduce his facial mass. Because he was one of the patients that traveled from so far, he spent the last night at El Faro with his family and the doctors. Because of the way he touched so many lives, all of the surgery team pitched in to buy him a playstation, which they gave to him on the last night. At the end of the week the team had performed 58 procedures on 45 patients. El Faro is so thankful for the wonderful team at MMG and the partnership that we have.
To see more pictures of the Medical Mission Surgery Team, please click HERE
Misión El Faro Guatemala www.misionelfaro.org
Samuel Gomez: Camps & Retreats campamentos@misionelfaro.org Keith Brutout: International Service Teams kwbrutout@gmail.com Meagan Ephraim: Volunteer Program