What better time to introduce new staff than Springtime! You’d never know by our fast moving medical programs, events, mailings and office operations that we’ve had staff transitions. But in the past 12 months we said goodbye to four Solidarity Bridge staff members who either retired, returned to graduate school or moved on to a larger job opportunity. Thank you, Juan Lorenzo and Sarah Hinojosa, Kira Foken, and Mara O'Brien for your loyal service and enormous contributions over many years.

“The course was excellent and demonstrated the importance of training opportunities in Bolivia. Many questions I had were clarified by the extremely capable faculty who led this course.”

The purpose of the mission is to provide training to Bolivian neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons in endoscopic skull base surgery. The course has attracted surgeons from all around Bolivia, and will include lectures and the commented operative simulcast of five surgeries. Of the five patients whose surgeries will be central to the course, four are working women in the prime of their lives who are losing their vision -- and their livelihoods -- to pituitary tumors. 

“My mother deserves to have good health,” one of her daughters commented. A son added, “She has suffered a lot over the years, but she is strong and independent. She knew the mission was the answer --- and she moved ahead.”

 During this week in which we celebrate both International Women’s Day and San Juan de Dios, our mission recognizes the importance of female patients voicing their needs to seek medical care, without fear of shame. Most of all, we celebrate the power of women contributing to a higher standard of care -- and living longer and happier lives.  

An end of year summary on some amazing things accomplished by the Solidarity Bridge community in 2015!

Leonardo underwent two heart surgeries at the tender ages of 7 and 14 months. See what this four-year-old is up to now, and read his mother’s account of how the Solidarity Bridge Heart Program turned his fate around.