Cancer Mission concludes in Santa Cruz

Written by Jodi Grahl

Thank you to all who made another mission trip possible!

The 2019 Oncological Surgery Mission Trip concluded in Santa Cruz on April 13. As with everything we do, it took an untold number of individuals and institutions working in solidarity to make this mission trip possible.

Thank you to the Cancer Institute of Eastern Bolivia for the honor of inviting us to work alongside your skilled and dedicated staff to serve the needs of Bolivia’s low-income cancer patients.

Thank you to Puente de Solidaridad, our Bolivian counterpart organization, for the many months invested to lay the groundwork for our visit. Since the return of the mission team, Puente de Solidaridad staff continues to accompany the patients and families served, in addition to their year-round work channeling other patients to surgeries performed by our Bolivian partner doctors through our permanent programs.

As seen in the photo, Puente de Solidaridad social worker Carmen Salses, medical supplies coordinator Desiree Mendez, volunteer Maria Eugenia Brockmann, and other staff accompanied patients throughout the week. Thank you also to each of our patients and their families who placed their trust in us, and whose spirit carried us through the week and continues to inspire our work.

The team delivered over 30 suitcases of medical supplies. Donors include: MAP International, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, Billings Clinic, MedShare, Medtronic, and Americares, as well as several individuals including Drs. George Lederhaas, Janet Tomezsko, Gay Garrett, and Mark Ottolin. These in-kind donations are the backbone of all we do.

Thank you to all the Bolivian and U.S. surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, PAs, interpreters, and others who worked together to complete sixteen complex surgeries. Conditions treated include gastric, thyroid, colon, endometrial, ovarian, and cervical cancers, among others.

Finally, thank you to all who prayed for us and our patients! Solidarity Bridge and Puente de Solidaridad staff, missioners, hospital personnel, and patients gathered to bless and pray for one another on our final day at the Cancer Institute. We know that many more kept us in their prayers throughout the week. We share our blessings with each and every one of you!