Continuing with his message on our five senses, Pastor Dave shared the story of Jesus’ first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. We were invited to get a taste today of what God can do and to let His goodness flow through us. We set out at 7 a.m. for the Obras Hospital for our first day of surgeries. During the COVID period, the Obras went through a remodeling project, and we’ve expanded to five operating rooms.
We have approximately 20 team members with us for the first time; however, from a lay perspective, it seems like everyone’s been working together for years. Practicing in an unfamiliar environment with new people, at a hospital where everyone speaks a different language, is a challenge for anyone. But once everyone understood their roles and got their assignments, the surgeries flowed smoothly.
Our surgical teams were able to change the lives of 20 patients today! These patients included:
Karla, a lovely 8-year-old little girl with syndactyly, a condition in which children are born with fused or webbed fingers. While her right hand was perfectly normal, her left hand had fingers that were attached together. Dr. Apel and the team were able to separate the webbed fingers and hopefully provide her normal grip and use of her hand going forward.
Vilma, a 32-year-old lady, was told from the age of 8 that she had vulvar condyloma, a sexually transmitted disease characterized by genital warts. Left untreated, this condition can lead to cancer. Over the years, Vilma and her mother steadfastly insisted that she had never been molested. 24 years later, Drs. Bailey and Eisenberg found that her condition was actually a natural deformity, which they were able to surgically repair.
Cesar, age 17, was in a car accident four years ago. He had a prior surgery where flexible nails were used, but he never healed properly. Cesar had great trepidation at the prospect of another surgery. Dr. Stehly’s team was able to remove the nails and better repair the fracture.
Melany, a 15-year-old girl, had an ovarian cyst that had grown to the size of a watermelon. Her only complaint was that it hurt when she ate, and that was nine months ago! Dr. Crable’s team was able to remove the tumor, along with 5 liters of fluid. She was scheduled for surgery last week with a prior team but was postponed till this week. Her mother Ruth cried tears of joy when Melany was scheduled for the first surgery today.
We met Rosa, age 59, who had had 12 children/13 pregnancies over the course of her life. She underwent a D&C and posterior repair necessitated by the impact of the many pregnancies.
Dr. Barrington was assisted in three knee arthroplasties by Levi Gonzales, a rep from Zimmer Biomet. Levi provided technical support for the knee replacement hardware during the procedures.
Watching God at work today brought to mind Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”
MEET OUR TEAM – Over the next few days, I will be introducing the Team 762 volunteers, all of whom are integral to the success of the Faith in Practice program.
MISSION COORDINATORS
Jim Gill, MD – 21 years ago, Dr. Gill answered God’s call to start a Faith in Practice team in Guatemala. Now a retired anesthesiologist, he continues to serve as our Mission Coordinator, aka “El Presidente.” Everything runs smoothly with Dr. Gill at the helm.
Eric Stehly, MD – Dr. Stehly is an orthopedic surgeon with North Texas Orthopedics in Grapevine, Texas. His specialty is in shoulder surgery. He stepped up to help the team in 2020, and now returns for his 3rd trip with Faith in Practice.
David Freeman, CRNA, DNP – Col. (Ret) Freeman is another veteran with the Guatemalan team and has provided anesthesia care to Faith in Practice patients for 14 years. He provides anesthesia care at home for Baylor Scott & White hospitals.
SURGEONS
Peter Apel, MD – Dr. Apel joins us for the 3rd time from Roanoke, VA, where he is an orthopedic surgeon at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. He specializes in pediatric and adult surgical hand repairs.
Melissa Bailey, MD – Dr. Bailey joins us for her 5th medical mission trip. She has served in the missions field in several Caribbean islands as well as in Africa. Her home hospital is Baylor Medical Center Frisco.
John Barrington, MD – Dr. Barrington is an orthopedic surgeon from Plano, Texas, joining us for the first time. He has served in several Latin American countries over the past 20 years.
Quanita Crable, MD – A graduate of the University of Kansas, Dr. Crable is an OB/GYN who works at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. She is a part of our gynecological team for the 5th year, and we thank her for the wonderful team members she has invited to join our team.
Dennis Eisenberg, MD – A gynecologist in Frisco at Texas OB/GYN, Dr. Eisenberg joins us for his 5th trip. We welcomed him back last year after a hiatus during which he was raising twin boys.
Daryl Greebon, MD – Dr. Greebon is one of our prior gynecological surgeons, and this is his 15th year attending to patients in Antigua. He retired from practice in Plano, TX, but has joined us this year in the roles of OR and Pharmacy Director. Dr. Greebon was also one of the original team with Dr. Peters and Dr. Gill 20+ years ago.
Ted Peters, MD – Dr. Peters has been providing orthopedic solutions to Guatemalan patients for 20 years and was part of the original team. He recently retired from his specialty in hand and arm surgery for both adult and pediatric patients in Grapevine, TX. He is also on the board of the Casa de Angeles orphanage that we will be visiting on Friday.
Maxwell Vest, MD – Dr. Vest is an orthopedic surgeon from Las Vegas who specializes in plastic surgery. He is currently doing a hand fellowship at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine with Dr. Apel. We welcome him to our team.
Julie Vu, MD – Dr. Vu is an OB/GYN on her 5th trip with Faith in Practice. Dr. Vu took a few years off to have her daughter, who is now 4 years old. She will be performing gynecological surgery, including hysterectomies and removal of tumors/cysts.
-Therese Kiernan, Photojournalist
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