September 2009 Surgery Trip

Mission of Hope, Bolivia
P.O. Box 4001
Charlottesville, VA 22903

Phone and Fax: 434-977-4748
E-mail: cindytha@cstone.net

September 2009 Surgery Trip

On September 5, 2009, the 13th surgery team arrived at the Mission of Hope hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for a week of free surgeries. The team was led by Dr. Elmer Kennel from Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va. He was joined by team members from Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Georgia, Virginia, and New York, who came together to serve the poor in Bolivia. It was a wonderful week of great blessings for the 60 patients who were selected for surgery. The doctors performed general surgeries and gynecology surgeries to end many years of pain and suffering for these patients.

The September 2009 Surgery Team

The team unloads their supplies in front of the Mission of Hope hospital.

Nadia, 6 years old, had a successful hernia repair.

Roberto, 8 years old, had a successful hernia repair. Here he is pictured with his nurse, Megan (left), and his mother.

Victor, 56 years old, was unable to work for more than 6 months due to a hernia. He had no money for an operation and heard about Mission of Hope from a friend. He had a successful surgery and can now go back to work.

Adela, 58 years old, had a succesful thyroid surgery.

Ezequiel, 56 years old, is married with 8 children. He is a farmer and traveled a great distance to get to Mission of Hope to have a growth removed. He traveled for two hours by motorcycle to a landing strip, then flew in a plane for five hours with missionary pilot, and then rode a bus for many hours to get to Santa Cruz.

Maria, 39 years old, is married and is the mother of six children. After a successful surgery, she was able to work again as a housekeeper to support her children.

Bertha, 38 years old, has had a painful tumor for two years, which prevented her from lifting anything. She prayed for God to take away the pain so she could work. Through a successful surgery, God answered her prayers!

Nadia (front left) and Fabiana (front right) pose with Megan and their mothers (in the back).

The team nurses go over their shift assignments after taking over from the night nurses.

Cleta, 44 years old, is married with 4 daughters and 2 grandchilden. She had a successful thyroidectomy.

Lucia, 52 years old, makes a living selling refreshments from a cart. She had been unable to work periodically due to severe abdominal pain. She had a successful hysterectomy.

Abrahan, eight years old, had a successful hernia surgery, ending 5 years of abdominal pain.

Elisabeth, 44 years old, had a successful hernia repair surgery. She lives more than two hours away in a Mennonite colony. She had been suffering for more than two years with a hernia, which made it difficult for her to do household chores and ride on the rough roads.

Adela, 41 years old, is the mother of five children. After a successful surgery to have a tumor removed, she is enjoying having her hair styled by Donna.

Robert (right) and Marty (left) take a break from cleaning the surgical instruments.

Dr. Carl Lynch and Nancy, an operating room nurse, take a break between surgeries.

Suzi (front) ran the kitchen while the team was at Mission of Hope. Marianne (back right) and Asael (across from Marianne), along with two other helpers, help prepare the patients' lunch.


Patients having a time of praise and worship

Susana, 43 years old, is married with 7 children. She lives in a Menonite colony five hours away. She has had a hernia since her first pregancy 20 years ago. She had a successful hernia repair surgery.

Petronila, 49 years old, poses with her nurse, Linda, after a successful surgery.

Delia, 45, has had a painful hernia for the past year. She originally was not on the list for surgeries for this team, but she prayed to God for an operation to end her pain. She was put on the list at the last minute, and she is so thankful to God for giving her this opportunity.

David (left), Abrahan (middle) and Roberto (right) have some fun with arts and crafts.

Juana, 35 years old, is a single mother. She was diagnosed with a tumor four years ago, but did not have the money to pay for the operation. She had a successful surgery to remove the tumor.

Herminia, 44 years old, suffered from the pain of gallstones for more than three years. Her friends told her about Mission of Hope, where she was able to get the care that she needed.