Living with Dignity: Paulina’s Journey Back Home

Paulina is from the central Bolivian town of Mizque, but due to her ill health has reluctantly moved to Cochabamba to live with her son and his family. She suffers from Chagas disease, a parasitic infection endemic to her home region. Up to one-third of people infected with Chagas develop heart failure and/or digestive disorders. Paulina is especially unlucky – her heart is weakened, and she underwent surgery last year for Chagasic megacolon. Now her esophagus is direly impacted as well...

Medical Mission Trip BlogJodi GrahlSeptember 8, 2025General Surgery, Patient Impact, GS Patient, GS feature, Chagas DiseaseComment

The patients who inspire us

Amid our long-term goals and strategies, the day-to-day work of Solidarity Bridge always comes back to serving the needs of the patient in front of us. Each brings a unique story, and it is a gift to be invited to be a part of it. For both our patients and ourselves, these encounters can be fraught with heartache, but are also a source of great joy

Caring for the Caregivers

The women we care for are themselves caregivers—they are mothers, they are daughters, they have jobs that put food on the table. Until this trip, I never fully understood the profound difference that access to minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery can make in allowing a patient to pursue treatment.

The Ups and Downs of Cancer Care

Resuming our in-person partnership with the Oncological Institute of Eastern Bolivia this month, our main goal was to provide specialized training and fill essential surgical equipment and supply needs. But we also traveled to the Cancer Institute to share the burden, albeit for just one week, of the ups and downs of cancer care.

Medical Mission Trip BlogJodi GrahlMarch 29, 2023General Surgery, Jodi Grahl, GS feature, OncologyComment

Giving Thanks for the Spirit of Solidarity

Bolivian-led mobile surgery campaigns served more than 50 patients throughout the summer months.

Updates from the SB TeamSolidarity BridgeOctober 7, 2019General Surgery, Mobile Campaign, GS featureComment

A moment of reflection in Santa Cruz

This is Mission. Moving forward step by step, patient by patient. Celebrating lives restored, and doing what we can to maintain hope for a future for our patients and their families.

Excellent Professionals and Excellent People

An interview with Doctors Jaime Vallejos and Johnny Camacho, general surgeons and longtime partners from Viedma Hospital in Cochabamba, during their 2018 Solidarity Visit to the United States.

The Tower That Solidarity Built

The gap in high-tech surgical care available to wealthy and poor patients has narrowed a bit in Cochabamba, thanks to a partnership to donate a new laparoscopic tower and supplies to the city’s most important public hospital.

Updates from the SB TeamSolidarity BridgeApril 26, 2018Rotary, Viedma Hospital, Betsy Station, GS feature, General SurgeryComment

A Promise Kept

Elena’s journey—which began with a devastating injury and led her to nursing school—shows the powerful ripple effect of gratitude.

Updates from the SB TeamSolidarity BridgeDecember 4, 2017StoriesofJoy, GS Patient, GS feature, CalltoFamilyComment

With Faith, Finding a Way

In her last update from our General Surgery Mission Trip in Santa Cruz, Dr. Kim Grahl shares a reflection on finding your way when there is no clear path forward.

Medical Mission Trip BlogSolidarity BridgeAugust 21, 2017KimGrahl, GS feature, General SurgeryComment

Hay Suficiente

Language barriers are a common issue in our cross-cultural work. But sometimes learning another language can give us new perspective, or a deeper understanding of the world around us. In this update, Dr. Kim Grahl shares how her perspective of the word ‘enough’ is changing on mission.

Medical Mission Trip BlogSolidarity BridgeAugust 17, 2017KimGrahl, WorldMissionSunday, GS feature, General SurgeryComment

Reflections on a Light-Filled Mission

Through the interconnected work of the dozens of individuals and several institutions involved in this 1-week mission trip, we managed to provide almost 50 surgeries!

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