Medical Care for Rural Guatemalan Families

Marcelo lives near the village of Purula in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz.  He is basically a subsistence farmer who supports his family of eight by growing corn, beans and broccoli.  In 2014 he became concerned about a growing mass on the side of his neck and went to a nearby medical evaluation clinic organized by our Guatemalan partner, Companero para Cirugia.  He needed surgery but unfortunately no team was available in 2014 or 2015 with the required surgical capabilities to deal with his complex tumor.

 Everyone could see Marcelo was becoming desperate since the movement of his head was now significantly affected.  He knew that soon he would not be able to work in his field and provide for his family.  Fortunately, Dr. Elwood McMullin agreed that his 2016 Cape Breton Nova Scotia team could provide the surgery when they came to Guatemala.  With the skills of this Canadian volunteer team and the support we provided for Marcelo’s transportation, lodging and post-operative care, the procedure was a big success.  Immediately after the surgery he looked in a mirror and said “IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAD A SMILE ON MY FACE.  TODAY I CAN SMILE AGAIN. I AM THE MARCELINO FROM BEFORE THIS MASS”.

There have been 201 other examples of individuals receiving needed critical surgical care since our report three months ago.   Of these, 50 patients received a corrective procedure for a cleft defect by the Faces of Hope surgical team and, once again, the team commented on how healthy the children were because of our Cleft Infant Nutrition program.  Over these last three months two teams of medical volunteers went to eight rural villages and, from 1021 medical evaluations, 434 individuals were identified who needed surgery.  Also during these village clinics, 481 cervical cancer prevention exams and 144 breast mass evaluations were provided. 

All these rural evaluations and surgical procedures are done by volunteer doctors from the USA and Canada who pay their own expenses.  However, preparations for rural clinics, scheduling and escorting patients, post-operative care, team logistics and record keeping is done with your financial support.  This medical care allowing thousands of individuals to be independent is only possible when we combine financial resources with the willing volunteerism of so many in North America.  We hope you will consider continuing your support.  More information can be found on our website:   www.partnerforsurgery.org.

Links:

• Partner for Surgery website

In this report I would like to focus on how Partner for Surgery, a U.S. based charity, provides surgical care to rural Guatemalan communities.  It can be summed up in one sentence----we use health promoters who live in the communities.  The day to day efforts of these health promoters are managed by our Guatemalan partner organization, Asociacion Companero para Cirugia.  These health promoters prepare for our teams of volunteer doctors and nurses from North America and Guatemala who do patient evaluations at locations close to where the patients live.    Spending one day in each of four villages during a week this past June, 275 candidates for surgery were identified.   These individuals have now been put into our system to be scheduled and escorted to surgical sites.  I would like to share with you three vignettes from this week:

Many people, such as 6 year old Manuel and his mother, knew of us through neighbors, friends or family members.  We repaired Manuel’s cleft lip several years ago and now he came to have his cleft palate repaired.  Without the closure of his palate, his speech would be very difficult to understand and he would remain at risk for respiratory infections.  Since antibiotics are not readily available or affordable in rural communities, without surgery Manuel could develop a life threatening condition.   Standing next to Ariel Marroquin, the Director of Operations, the mother’s smile reflects her comment spoken in the local K’iche language:  “I am very confident Manuel will have a bright future after his surgery”.

Most of our patients have surgical needs common throughout the world.   However, in rural Guatemala problems are seen that should have been addressed when the problem was first noticed but by waiting, the problem has become a major issue.  This is the case of a young man named Juan who was evaluated by the Canadian volunteer Dr Karen McIntyre.  Removal of Juan’s facial growth now will require several surgical specialties whereas if it had been done earlier the procedure would have been far less complicated. 

At the end of the week I was approached by a woman who immediately remembered me from 13 years ago.  As soon as she showed me her feet, I remembered her, Alicia.  She had come to us barely able to walk because of two club feet.  As a teenager, she had few prospects for a life outside the family home - but now she is married with two children and her smile reflects how that surgical repair 13 years ago changed her life.  For me, that was the highlight of the week and once again reminded me of the importance of the work of Partner for Surgery. 

All of the patients from this week of evaluation will be scheduled for surgery.  We accomplish our mission  with local Guatemalans, volunteer medical professionals and the support of donors such as you.  We ask that you please continue to help us so we can continue to help others like Manuel, Juan and Alicia.  The work goes on – to date, our organization has given the opportunity for surgery to over 11,000 rural, impoverished Guatemalans and the need is there to provide life changing help to many more.

Links:

• Partner for Surgery Website