Bienvenido a Guatemala!
Timing is everything. I have been a nurse for almost 25 years. Those years have been filled with many happy, exhilarating, fulfilling times, as well as sad and scary times. None of those experiences were as uplifting nor as fulfilling as my time with Surgicorps in Guatemala.
I have always wanted the chance to participate in a mission trip. Unfortunately, it took years until the opportunity became reality and it was all about timing. New to the area, I was getting to know one of the surgeons I work with and our conversation turned to the topic of mission trips. He told me about his experiences and about Surgicorps and their mission to provide free surgical and medical care to those in need.
“Where do I sign up?!” I asked excitedly. He connected me to DeNese, I filled out an application for the chance to volunteer, and I was chosen! In 2019, I made my first trip with Surgicorps to Guatemala. One trip, that’s all it took, and I was hooked. It started with meeting my other teammates, then the staff at the hospital, and finally all the patients we saw on screening day whose faces lit up with a smile when they saw us. They were so grateful for us coming. So trusting and hopeful that we can “fix” whatever ails them. I was in, hook, line, and sinker.
The team Surgicorps put together was so amazing. A group of people from various locations across the US coming together all with the same mindset and mission. To provide amazing surgical care to this wonderful community. It still amazes me how quickly we all gelled together to make the busy week run so smoothly. It is such an honor to work with this group year after year. They teach me so much and we have loads of fun together. I look forward to our “Guatemala family reunion” (as I refer to this trip) every year.
When people ask me “why do you do it” my initial response (in my head) is “why don’t you?”. But then I realize they haven’t experienced what we have, and for those of us that have experienced it, it is truly hard to express and put into words. The simple answer is we do it because that is our calling. We are here to help others. We have been trained to help others. This community and its wonderful citizens need help that we can provide. But, there is a deeper answer. When else can you experience such a level of trust, hope and gratefulness from a group of patients you have never met? Patients who don’t know you and may never see you again, and whom many of us can’t communicate with as we don’t speak their language. Yet, they look at us with so much trust, hope, and gratitude. That is a responsibility I do not take lightly. After having worked with so many of the same team members year after year, I know they don’t take that responsibility lightly either.
2024 was my fifth trip to Guatemala and we completed 134 surgeries! I am so thankful and appreciative for this opportunity to help the amazing people of Guatemala receive the care they need. And I am so grateful to Dr. Kim, Stephanie, DeNese and Surgicorps for making this a reality. I look forward to continuing to serve in Guatemala and wherever Surgicorps may need me.
