Each morning, my translator Fernanda and I navigated our way along the rocky narrow sidewalk, admiring the glorious purple blooms of the jacaranda trees, and up the steps of the church; a ramp alongside the steps makes the clinic wheelchair accessible. If we arrived early enough, we would see Dr. Fuentes zoom up the ramp on his motorcycle, which he parked across from the long wooden bench, placed outside of the clinic, that served as the waiting room. 

Dr. Fuentes is an excellent, experienced internist and I found much to admire in his wise, compassionate approach to patient care; discussing his cases allowed us to exchange knowledge…

Candice and Dr. Fuentes spent a good portion of each day together, examining patients, making diagnoses, and consulting on treatment plans. Both agree that there are many benefits to the cross-cultural sharing of knowledge they experienced during their week together.  While the patients have benefited from the experience, so have Candice and Dr. Fuentes. Dr. Fuentes shared, “The experience was really amazing.  We’ve been sharing treatment plans; some are the same and some are different than in the U.S. ” He continued,  “It has been really beneficial for both of us because we have been able to discuss criteria for diseases and how a patient’s presentation for an illness might vary in different regions of the world.

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.

Galia had prayed to find a doctor who would perform her surgery. She didn’t have enough money for the expensive operation, but she knew that she really needed it.

In Bolivia, home visits help build bridges of solidarity—like the day Esperanza met Kim.