Day 4
After spending so much time together, it’s natural that by the end of the week our team feels like family. This year, though, that’s especially true because many of us actually are related! Several married couples are serving together, including Melissa and Rob Holmes (team coordinator and team leader/surgeon), Rachael and Scott Adams (PACU nurse and physician assistant), Emily and David Hopkins (pediatrician and surgeon), and Sonya and Steven Ellis (circulating RN and anesthesiologist).
We also have several parents and children serving side by side. David Castle (surgeon) is joined by his daughter Cynthia Castle (translator), Jared Wingert (CRNA) by his son Carson Wingert (translator), Justin Shults (anesthesiologist) by his son Bennett Shults (assistant blogger), and Tara Jones (PACU nurse) by her daughter Milly Jones (general support). Tiffany Pittman (circulating RN) also brought her nephew, Braeden Medlock (medical student), making family ties an even bigger part of this year’s team. And finally I, Maya Holmes, am serving as a our team blogger alongside my parents, Melissa and Rob Holmes.
It has also been a special experience for the children of team members to serve alongside their parents. Cynthia Castle shared that she has always enjoyed meeting her dad’s friends, but this trip has given her a unique opportunity to see firsthand the work he has devoted himself to throughout her life. Watching him interact with patients, colleagues, and friends has helped her better understand both his profession and his character. Cynthia said that being part of the team has given her a deeper appreciation for her dad and the work he does, along with a new level of respect for the difference he makes in the lives of others.
For me, it has been an incredible experience to watch what my dad does and see him in action in the operating room. I’ve loved being able to observe surgeries and the teamwork that makes them possible, especially because medicine is a field I’m interested in pursuing myself.
Having so many younger team members serving in nonmedical roles,such as bloggers and translators, also gives students interested in healthcare the opportunity to experience the medical world in a service-oriented way. Carson Wingert has served as a translator on the team for the past two years. As a student who hopes to practice medicine someday, he said he values these experiences because they allow him to help people now, even before beginning his medical training.
“I get to start out with the feeling of being of service to people,” Carson explained, rather than spending years in training simply hoping that one day he will be able to make a difference. He also noted that these trips provide a unique introduction to medical practice, allowing young people to see firsthand how healthcare professionals care for patients while working together to serve others.
This trip was also a first for pediatrician Emily Hopkins and her husband, plastic surgeon David Hopkins, who had never before worked together in the operating room.
“Working with David has been such a joy,” Emily said. “We’ve been together for 18 years, and getting to see him do the thing he loves has been amazing. Despite being together for so long and going through training at the same time, this is the first time I’ve actually gotten to watch him operate. It has been such a beautiful experience to see him doing what brings him joy while caring for others. He has such a calm, compassionate, and fun personality outside the OR, and I love getting to see that he is exactly the same way in the OR, with both his patients and the staff. This has truly been one of the best experiences we could have asked for as a family.”
Throughout the week, we have seen the truth of Paul’s counsel in Galatians 5:13, “By love serve one another.” As families have worked side by side to care for patients and support one another, serving together has become an expression of love.
This week has reminded us that service has a unique way of bringing people closer together. Whether it’s a parent and child, a husband and wife, an aunt and nephew, or a team of new friends, serving side by side creates connections that are hard to replicate anywhere else. As we head home, we’ll carry with us not only memories of the patients whose lives were changed, but also a deeper appreciation for the family members and teammates who shared this experience with us.
