Abigail is 9 years old and lives in an orphanage. She is in second grade and likes school very much. Her father died in a taxi accident and her mother put her in an orphanage because she had no money to take care of her. Abigail had a successful surgery removing a nodule from her neck.

Juana is 18 years old and she lives with her aunt in Santa Cruz. She had to quit school at the age of 10 because her dad was out of work. She earns money to support herself by cleaning houses. She had a successful laparoscopic surgery to remove a gall stone.

Eusebio, 60 years old, developed a hernia 5 years ago. He continued work cutting trees and grass for 2 years, but has not been able to work for the last 3 years. He lives in a village with no public transportation. To get to the mission, he had to walk 10 kms (2 hours) to the next town and ride the bus for 10 hours. He spent all the money he had to ride the bus to the mission.

Elsa came to the clinic in great pain from gall stones. Her husband earns very little money and she has four children. She is very grateful for the love and care she received at the Mission of Hope hospital and for the U.S. team that came to do her surgery.

Lidia, 37 years old, suffered for more than 20 years with pain from gallstones. She did not have money to see a doctor. She and her husband have 5 children. They all live together in one room. She earns money by selling vegetables, and she and her husband have a combined income of about $7.50.