Day 6 – Goodbye
It’s time to say goodbye to Hospital Hilario Galindo. 77 kids and cases in 3 days. Countless hugs and smiles. The collaboration with the hospital staff has been amazing. The joy, relief and hope for the future for these families cannot be understated. The devotion and camaraderie of the mission team has been inspiring. I am not sure that I have ever been more impressed by a group of people. Many have said this brings them back to why they got into medicine – to focus on patient care and to make a difference. It was an honor chronicling the journey. I’ll finish with a few thoughts from the team that capture the essence of what this means. Peace.
Gigi – OR scrub nurse
“This is what some people would consider God’s work. The people of Guatemala are absolutely beautiful. I love being able to help out those that are less fortunate, which is the loving ministry, right? So having an opportunity to come with a group of people that have a huge heart and are devoted to helping those that need help, there’s no better thing to do in the world. I wish I could do it every day. The people are beautiful here. They’re so appreciative and it brings you back to who you are as a person and who you are at the core. That’s why we got into medicine, to help those people and it’s absolutely beautiful.”
Carlos – Anesthesiologist
“On every type of trip, vacation, or voyage I go on, I try to take something home. My mission trips specifically with Faith In Practice have become my food for the soul trip. I know I’m coming here to volunteer and to hopefully make a difference, but I know that when I get home, I am another human being. It’s because of the people who I work with, but also the patients that I take care of. So this is my food for the soul trip. I am a better human being and it gives me happiness and joy and I am forever a better person.”
Betsy – OR circulating nurse
“This is my second year and I came back because it’s the same feeling that I knew I would get the first time, which is one of the reasons why I traveled the world. I love to meet people and connect in a way that is more than just language. I don’t speak Spanish, I don’t speak the same language, but there’s a universal energy and feeling that you get with people and it’s the most beautiful uplifting thing. And so going to grab our patients and knowing that they don’t speak the same language, but they trust you and they know that you’re going to make them better and heal, that feeling is the reason I come back.”
David – Pediatric Surgeon
“I did my first mission with Faith In Practice as a resident just because I thought it would be a cool experience and I’d get to operate a lot. But during that time I saw the impact that it had on the children and the families to be able to get care that they’ve been struggling so much to find. After that experience, I vowed that when I was finished with my training, I would come back as a fully trained surgeon and continue to help with that goal.
After my first year or two out of training I was invited on the trip. I was flattered and I immediately went. I was blown away by the members of the team and the hospital, just the overall feelings of love and joy and camaraderie that were on the team. And then once I got to meet the patients and get to know the families, that’s the most rewarding part. So that’s what brings me back year after year – helping the children and the families.
Selfishly though, it is a tremendous way to reset your thermostat as far as what’s important and what’s not important in life, the gratitude for the things that we have in life, that you see that these families don’t. And also an appreciation for the purity in their love for their children. This helps me reset and remind myself what’s important. So every year I look forward to coming on this trip, both for the people on the team to help the children, but also for myself, to really have a sense of gratitude for where I am in life and what’s important to me, which is my family, our health, and the ability to continue to help other children.”
Maggi – OR circulating nurse
“As a first time nurse coming on a mission, I’ve always wanted to do this. I had no idea what to expect. Even though I am from Africa, a third world country, I thought I won’t be super surprised – I’ve seen poverty and I’ve seen struggle. But what really stood out to me with the Guatemalan people was their absolute happiness to see us, help their children, their grateful demeanor, their children being so extremely well behaved, and all of the surgical team that came together really as a family and as a team.
From people that have been here before, people who haven’t been here before or come from different missions, it felt every day like a happy place to come to for the surgical team and also for the patients, even though they were sick, that they’re going to be helped. I kind of regret that I haven’t done this previously in my life. This is a very well-oiled machine from the surgical standpoint. Everybody knows what to do. It didn’t feel for a second that we didn’t know where things were or were lacking in supplies.
What I take away for myself is that gratitude from the population. It is heartfelt. It really brings a tear to your eye to see how little the people have and how little it takes to help, when our expectations are that we need a lot and need more of everything. It really takes such a small amount, and whatever it is that you have to give makes such a massive difference. It was very tangible.”
Lisa – OR circulating nurse
“This is my third year coming on this mission. I have always enjoyed mission trips with church, etc., and have always gotten a lot from them. It is really great to be able to share my gifts here. Also, I feel like I’m able to soak up all this energy from everyone else in the group because everyone is such giving people. Everyone is willing to pitch in and no task is too small for anyone. It’s just great to be in this type of environment because we don’t get that every day.
It’s really rewarding and feels great to provide this hope for these kids and feel like you’re doing something that’s going to make a big impact in their lives. We’re only here for a week, but this week propels you into the next year as we go home and take care of more kids at home. There’s a different type of meaning behind the work here, though, because at home we have so much. And here, the little that we bring provides a lot for these kids.”
Chris – Anesthesiologist
“My job as a pediatric anesthesiologist is to ensure that kids have some level of comfort, undergoing a relatively, potentially traumatic experience. What you notice on this trip is that regardless of the language barrier, from the parents to the patients to our group, there is just such a high level of trust that you don’t find in a whole lot of other places with the consistency that you see year over year.
This is one of those experiences where you come into this group of people from all different backgrounds. You’re not forced to be authentic, but everybody is authentic on the trip. They’re their true selves, and I think that’s something that you sometimes don’t get a glimpse of back in whatever our stations are in life. You have this ability to connect with people on a far different level – that’s both the patients and the parents, and that’s the folks on this mission team. This is a big driver of why you see many of us come back every year and it’s the same core group.
For me, it’s resetting, it’s refreshing. It lets you get back to the core of why you’ve gone into medicine in the first place, which is to take care of kids. There isn’t all of the other extraneous, external pressure, that kind of thing. We’re here to solely take care of kids and everybody’s driven by that. It is fantastic. Then obviously the relationships that we’ve formed with Faith In Practice have been really enduring.”
Laura – PACU nurse, trip leader
“I feel privileged to be able to participate and support the team, it is truly an honor. Our minds struggle to think about what it might be like to wait for a surgery for a child one year at a time, and you see the relief in the parents’ faces when we show up at the hospital on the first day. In the PACU, I’ve never seen children awake after surgery with smiles eager to get a popsicle. The amazing interpreters help us communicate with the patient and their parent, and you can see the parent’s worry melt away when they see their child after surgery.
The gratitude remains palpable across every aspect of the mission, from the hospital staff to the guides at Faith in Practice. We each get the honor of caring for the children and trust from the parents and community. Every year, I am reminded about the heart of healthcare. Each one of the volunteers said yes, covered all personal expenses, and donated their time and expertise. Every one caring for each patient, each family – like they were their own. It is one thing to see this or even feel it – it is another to be surrounded by it for a week. I’ve never been more proud to work in healthcare than when I am serving with this amazing team. Every year, the gravity of this team’s impact ripples through all avenues of my life for the rest of the year. I can’t wait to come back.“
Mike Miniati
Team Blogger