The image of the aguayo as a transporter of life is a powerful one, reaching beyond the aesthetic to the functional, spiritual and cultural. We had seen aguayos carefully folded on hospital nightstands where Quechuan patients, garbed in a hospital gowns, awaited not only surgery, but information on the status of their health, specifically on the detection of cancer and its treatment. Marcela challenged us to identify what we now carry in our own aguayos: what the week in Sucre, Bolivia, in a cancer hospital, has given us to hold.

Our annual Multi-Specialty Mission Trip in September brought together 14 medical specialists who provided care to more than 920 patients throughout the week at Tiquipaya Hospital. The following stories capture moments of patient care witnessed during a single day of the mission.

In Bolivia, one of the most evident examples of gender-based health inequity is the lack of access to quality gynecological care. This issue has been a part of Solidarity Bridge’s mission since our second mission trip in 2000. Many women, especially mothers, suffer silently from conditions like abnormal bleeding, pelvic organ prolapse, fibroids, urinary incontinence, and other health problems often linked to multiple childbirths. Unfortunately, these conditions are rarely addressed until they become severe.

Returning to the Chuquisaqueño Cancer Institute this week,  our goal is to leave the hospital team prepared to independently perform laparoscopic hysterectomies going forward.

At the close of our gynecologic surgery mission trip in Sucre, Bolivia, US missioner, Dr. Erin Stevens, shares what motivates her to continue with this work.

The ICO team has a prophetic presence in Sucre and the surrounding area, living the realities of life with cancer. Our mission team is grateful to be among those learning from the patients, doctors, nurses, and administrators at the ICO this week.

Concluding our week in Cliza, Executive Director Ann Rhomberg cited the book of John (1:5): “The light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it.” We are indebted to all the health workers in Cliza, in Bolivia, and throughout the world, who “continue to shine the light of healing care,” despite any darkness around us.

29-year-old Joselin lived for years with a benign but growing mass in her uterus. Pain from this issue had become debilitating, and her fertility was also threatened. Surgery was the only solution, but financial and logistical obstacles prevented Joselin from accessing care.

Operating in this pandemic poses greater risks to patients, and to their medical teams in the operating room. And yet, care must continue. As surgeries resume in our programs, safety is our top priority.

Dr. Shelly Agarwal shares what she learned on her first mission trip to Bolivia.

Our Gynecologic Surgery Program serves those patients who are so often overlooked, post-reproductive age women.

Our Gynecologic Surgery Mission Trip shows how women are moving from a dominant role in the home to dominance in the healthcare field. First-time missioner, Gabby Serratos, RN, shares her impressions.