The needs of surgical patients continue far beyond their time in the hospital. Many treated for conditions including birth defects, abdominal trauma, Chagas disease, or colon cancer may need to live temporarily or permanently with an ostomy. Increasing access to ostomy supplies is critical both for medical reasons and to preserve the dignity of patients.

Each year at our Fiesta gala, we honor one missioner who has gone above and beyond, exemplifying the spirit of solidarity that distinguishes our mission. Last month, our 2022 Solidarity Award was presented to general surgeon and ten-time missioner Dr. John Gregory.

Valentine’s Day imagery takes our minds to the patients of our Kids Heart Program. In 2021, 37 children and young adults received cardiac surgery through our program. Here are just two stories that will warm your heart today. We share them with immense gratitude for all of our donors, staff, and medical partners who together make these surgeries possible.

Most epilepsy patients in Bolivia do not have access to specialized care. Our seven-part series of webinars for Bolivian pediatricians, neurologists, internists, nurses, and family members of patients with epilepsy aimed to provide basic training and education to begin to address the treatment gap.

COVID cases are on the rise again in Paraguay, and our partners there have asked us to postpone our plans for a neurosurgery mission this month.

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.

Bolivian colorectal surgeon, Dr. Fernando Nogales, reflects on how he came to join our mission. His path illustrates challenges Bolivian doctors face in fulfilling their vocations, and how our programs can help overcome some barriers.

A first of its kind diagnostic campaign screened more than 60 children for congenital heart diseases in the city of Tarija.

Our Extraordinary Support Program has reached more than 600 patients—with medical assistance and hope—since its inception in August 2020.

Solidarity Bridge Board member, Cynthia Judge, suggests that the most important part of communication is the opportunity to elevate the human experience. Storytelling is a skill that must be developed, with precision and practice. With the neglected surgical patient as our inspiration, we can tell their stories with the conviction that they will be heard, and all our lives will be changed.

Tania Avila and Fr. Steven Judd, Maryknoll lay missioner and priest, respectively, remind us to leave space in our backpacks (and in our hearts and minds) as we prepare for travel. If our bags are fully packed - heavy with obligations and loaded with expectations - they can become a burden that prevents us from seizing the opportunities for mutual learning that our encounters offer.

Embracing solidarity assumes the truth well-expressed by Fr. Greg Boyle: “The measure of our compassion lies not in our service of those on the margins, but in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them, in mutuality.” Out of both necessity and desire, I’m learning to make a permanent place in my heart for the ills of our world while making sure I have additional room for life’s joys.