A five-women team departs this Saturday for Sucre, Bolivia, to work alongside OB-GYN surgeons at the Chuquisaca Cancer Institute (ICO). The primary goal of our visit is to advance training in laparoscopic surgical techniques for gynecologic pathologies.

Many trainees in developing countries don’t have access to a practice space for advanced techniques. This drives motivated doctors to move abroad for their educational advancement and contributes to a drain on the medical workforce in low-income countries.

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.

On Monday, we began our work at the Hospital Materno Infantil San Juan de Dios. As we were welcomed by the hospital director and met our partners in the medical exchange we are embarking upon, the invitation to engage deeply was clear.

There is growing consensus that pre-travel preparation is one of the most important practices for a successful global health mission. This fall, we are offering our preparation curriculum via an online learning platform tailored to each team, specific to their host community and medical specialties.

Investments in specialized diagnostic and treatment equipment is expanding access to high-quality clinical and surgical care in five hospitals serving central and eastern Bolivia.

The three patients treated during our trip had experienced sudden and severe headaches and nausea, caused by a high-grade AVM. The complexity of their cases pushed the limits of surgical treatment available in Paraguay. But the doctors at the Hospital Nacional de Itaguá were motivated and eager to advance their skills in this type of care.

Today is our third day at the Hospital Nacional de Itauguá, our second day of surgery. As we gathered in the faculty lounge, the surgeons seemed somewhat anxious. Yesterday’s surgery was successful, but today’s case will be much more difficult.

On our fourth medical mission trip to the Hospital Nacional de Itauguá in Asunción, Paraguay our Neurosurgery & Neurology insitute team will work with their counterparts to advance AVM surgeries.

We are grateful to the Global Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Chicago for the opportunity to share more about our work at two parishes this summer.

Pediatric neurologists Dr. Victor Cuéllar and Dr. Shirley Martinez juggled patient care needs at the Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with the imperative to use data from their extensive practice to study the incidence and risk factors for epilepsy in Bolivia. They recently partnered with the Solidarity Bridge Neurosurgery & Neurology Institute (NNI) for support.