I am a pediatric PA anesthetist and I will assist the surgical team by performing pre, intra and post op anesthesiology services and assisting with H&Ps. All of the services I provide will be free and allow children to have surgery to correct their surgical issues, eg hernias. It will make a huge impact on the quality of life for the children. They will be able to do normal activities without pain or limitations. This will also benefit them as they go into the work force as many individuals are unable to work do uncorrected congenital issues such as inguinal hernias.
Multiple children in Yantalo and neighboring districts will benefit from this mission trip. I was asked to be a part of this trip in 2020 and am grateful I can continue to give back. Many of my relatives in Mexico live in poverty, similar to persons in this region of Peru. Although they have nothing by American standards, they would gladly share what little they have with you. When I'm there I feel like I'm helping family, not strangers. This is why I want to continue to help.
We plan to surgically correct common pediatric abnormalities to all the children to have a better quality of life and be better able to work and care for themselves as they become adults. We will leave the families with handouts and instructions on how to care for their post-surgical child. In the past we have taught basic first aid and CPR. We will coordinate with the Yantalo Peru Foundation if they have any specific teaching requests.
We provided surgical intervention and follow up care for 11 children! Unfortunately 2 were cancelled due to being sick. The age range was 6 months to 14 years old. The cases consisted of hernia repairs, circumcisions and fistula/ imperforate anus repair. Primary care and follow up care was arranged for all surgical candidates and 10 other children who were non-surgical candidates.
