A Bolivian nursing student needed highly-specialized brain surgery unavailable in the public healthcare system in his country. Read about his international journey to care and healing.

“Successful surgical training is not dependent on the equipment, the finances, or even the planning as much as on the dedication of the people and their motivations for being here.”

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

Bolivian doctors interested in pursuing sub-specialized training such as oncological surgery have very limited training options in-country. Our mission trip offers an opportunity for these doctors to operate alongside a surgeon who has performed thousands of the most difficult pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgical procedures.

From virtual lectures to hands-on practice, our two day Spinal Surgery Workshop gave more than 25 neurosurgical residents from Bolivia and Paraguay an opportunity to advance their skills.

José was the first of six patients with complex neurosurgical conditions operated this week at the Santa Bárbara Hospital in Sucre, Bolivia. These surgeries are part of a long-term effort drawing on the contributions of local and U.S. neurosurgeons, neuro-anesthesiologists, neuro-intensivists, and neuro-rehabilitation specialists toward a vision of establishing the Santa Bárbara Hospital as a premier neurotrauma center.

Endoscopic transnasal surgery uses a tiny camera through the nose to remove tumors from the pituitary gland and skull base. U.S. neurosurgeon Richard Moser and Bolivian ENT Patricia Arteaga delivered a comprehensive course for 11 doctors eager to learn the technique.

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.

Solidarity Bridge and Puente de Solidaridad are two sides of the same coin, both promoting solidarity as central to who we are and why we do what we do.

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

Across five specialties, our U.S. missioners have been working with their Bolivian colleagues to learn from one another and collaborate in making life better for our patients and the wider community.

MSMT changes lives by providing specialized care that is otherwise unavailable to patients at rural Bolivian hospitals.