I will be a general surgeon on a 4 surgeon/ 25 total member team serving the community of Comoyagua, Honduras. The patients served will greatly benefit from the hernia repairs and gallbladder operations offered to this needy population. The team works collaboratively with the San Benito Jose Catholic medical center, an arrangement that has worked for several years.
The town of Comoyagua is poor and the population eligible for these operations without fees are the poorest of this town. There are many who meet the requirements for poverty level income. Their options outside of this project are very limited and this patients often wait months or years to have their operation performed which leads to more advanced disease and more difficult operations.
I have been on this trip in the past and we expect again this year to be able to perform major surgery on at 100 patients. As previously mentioned, the pathology seen on these trips is usually more advanced than what is typical back home. I think I am a little bit better surgeon when I return. This organization really stresses teamwork and a cooperative spirit so I am sure that I take back more if that team approach where every pitches in.
This mission was my favorite trip to date. Our team was able to serve nearly 100 brave young and elderly Hondurans from the impoverished villages around the town of Comayagua. Here’s the cleaned-up version:
Two things stood out to me about the patients on this trip. The first was how advanced their pathology was. No one reported having symptoms for less than a year, which made their operations more challenging. Fortunately, all of them did well.
The second was their bravery and patience. Patients often waited hours to be seen and never complained. We had interpreters, though there was occasionally a slight language barrier — yet they always followed instructions without hesitation. One patient in particular, a six-year-old girl with a fairly large hernia, smiled the entire time. Just after she went under, I mentioned to the nurse that it would sadden me to see her in pain when she woke. To my delight, when I checked on her in the PACU, she was already melting hearts again with that same smile.
This year we visited two orphanages and a large group home for adults with severe disabilities. The care provided under the direction of the Franciscan friar leaders of San Benito Jose Hospital was impressive. It was heartening to see that these marginalized individuals are not forgotten.
I must also recognize the leaders of Operation Hope Medical Missions and San Benito Jose Hospital, who once again demonstrated not only their genuine commitment to serving those most in need, but also their remarkable ability to assemble an outstanding team of providers and support staff. It was a truly meaningful trip.
