While Solidarity Bridge provides resources, training, and expertise, we have learned that sustainable impact only takes root when local leaders take ownership and carry the work forward. For new initiatives, we search for these key “local champions” that have vision, commitment, and perseverance. That is why we have been so energized by our partners in pediatric epilepsy surgery. The MOSCH team provides nearly 6,500 neurology consultations per year, of which up to 49% are patients with epilepsy. According to statistics in Latin America, 30% of these will be drug-resistant, and of these, 15% are possible candidates for epilepsy surgery.

I had the privilege of meeting Alex and his mother Juanita while serving as chaplain during the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Mission Trip at the Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, last November. 5-year-old  Alex has suffered epilepsy throughout his short life. Although he has to take about ten different medications, the seizures can not be prevented…

“I was hopeless” is a phrase you frequently encounter when speaking with parents of children with drug-resistant epilepsy. It serves as a powerful reminder of the vital role that Solidarity Bridge plays in sustaining hope for those whose hope has run thin. Along with committed partners, Solidarity Bridge is restoring hope for Bolivian children suffering drug resistant epileptic seizure disorders by making epilepsy surgery accessible. 

Each day of the Neurology and Neurosurgery Institute mission trip on epilepsy care brings new reminders of the complexity of neurological disorders. Working in collaboration among a team of specialists improves chances for accurate diagnoses and successful treatments. 

This week in Bolivia, we are celebrating a major achievement: the first-ever epilepsy surgery performed in the public children’s hospital of Santa Cruz!

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases, but three-quarters of people living with epilepsy in low-income countries do not get the treatment they need. Our Neurosurgery and Neurology Institute (NNI) is partnering with colleagues at the public Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to bridge this gap.

Pediatric neurologists Dr. Victor Cuéllar and Dr. Shirley Martinez juggled patient care needs at the Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with the imperative to use data from their extensive practice to study the incidence and risk factors for epilepsy in Bolivia. They recently partnered with the Solidarity Bridge Neurosurgery & Neurology Institute (NNI) for support.

An estimated 70% of those who suffer epilepsy in Latin America and the Caribbean lack access to care. As we travel on mission and speak to dedicated local doctors, we know that these are not just statistics.

We are inaugurating a new Neurosurgery and Neurology Institute which will house multiple initiatives in research, education, resource mobilization, and service—all for the benefit of patients and practitioners in South America.

Our neurosurgery team soon departs for Paraguay where a promising new partnership has begun at the public hospital in Asunción.

Three mission teams heading to Bolivia in March 2018 will take part in important “firsts,” either for Solidarity Bridge, for our partners, or for patients in need of specialized surgical care.