November 2025 marked the NNI’s fourth neurotrauma partnership trip to Hospital Santa Bárbara, and there was much to celebrate: Returning neurosurgeons were deeply moved by visits from patients treated in prior years, many of whom reported positive outcomes; The U.S. neurosurgery team noted clear advances in the surgical skills of their Bolivian colleagues, as well as increased proficiency with donated equipment; The Hospital Santa Bárbara Neurosurgery Department also grew from zero residents in 2019 to four residents by 2025, while essential medical equipment that Solidarity Bridge has provided—including a neurosurgical microscope, electrical drill, Mayfield head stabilization system, ultrasonic aspirator, and other high-value tools—continue to greatly improve care.

I had the privilege of meeting Alex and his mother Juanita while serving as chaplain during the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Mission Trip at the Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, last November. 5-year-old  Alex has suffered epilepsy throughout his short life. Although he has to take about ten different medications, the seizures can not be prevented…

The image of the aguayo as a transporter of life is a powerful one, reaching beyond the aesthetic to the functional, spiritual and cultural. We had seen aguayos carefully folded on hospital nightstands where Quechuan patients, garbed in a hospital gowns, awaited not only surgery, but information on the status of their health, specifically on the detection of cancer and its treatment. Marcela challenged us to identify what we now carry in our own aguayos: what the week in Sucre, Bolivia, in a cancer hospital, has given us to hold.

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.

Paulina is from the central Bolivian town of Mizque, but due to her ill health has reluctantly moved to Cochabamba to live with her son and his family. She suffers from Chagas disease, a parasitic infection endemic to her home region. Up to one-third of people infected with Chagas develop heart failure and/or digestive disorders. Paulina is especially unlucky – her heart is weakened, and she underwent surgery last year for Chagasic megacolon. Now her esophagus is direly impacted as well, massively distended and unable to move food through to the stomach.

During our July General Surgery Mission Trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia, we met patients whose strength and stories continue to touch our hearts. They remind us why we serve and inspire us to continue working to expand access to surgical care.

“There are so many wounds that need healing, that when we remember…the parable with which Jesus taught us who our neighbor is, we cannot help but open our eyes to those next to us, so as not to be carried away by the inertia of individualism and indifference that pervades our society.” This was the opening quote that framed Solidarity Bridge's recent reflection given during the St. Bede - St. Denis Mass as part of the Archdiocese's Mission Appeal on Aug. 8th and 9th.

June brought two historic firsts to neurosurgery in Paraguay—both made possible through the collaboration of Solidarity Bridge and our dedicated partner doctors in the U.S. and Paraguay. For the first time in the country, surgeons successfully performed a cerebral double bypass and a flexible endoscopic intraventricular surgery.

Bolivia is facing an economic and political crisis that is hitting its people especially hard, with soaring inflation driving up the cost of living. Inflation, combined with import scarcity, is disrupting daily life—including access to healthcare. More patients than ever are avoiding medical care because they cannot afford it. Others wait until their conditions are advanced—when they are harder to treat. This delay has led to an increase in severe cases and worsened treatment outcomes.

The US visit of two partner Neurosurgeons from Paraguay in April marked a key milestone in a formal training initiative launched by UW–Madison and Solidarity Bridge in December 2022. The partnership aims to bridge gaps in neurosurgical training by offering a progressive, multi-stage program for neurosurgery residents of Bolivia and Paraguay. Over 20 UW-Madison neurosurgery faculty have presented lectures through the virtual residency program

Our patients are supported by “acompañantes,” who may be lay or religious chaplains or others who spiritually and emotionally accompany them and their families, before, during, and after surgery. These “accompaniers” frequently sit with families in their darkest moments, awaiting the results of a critical laboratory exam or the outcome of a delicate surgery. They may be there to celebrate with them, or to hold their hand and pray with them for strength and peace. 

Our accompaniment teams are in turn blessed to listen to the unique stories of each patient we serve. Here are a few of those stories

During their visit, the Bolivian team met with members of Lurie’s chaplaincy and social work departments for a powerful exchange focused on integrated, compassionate care for pediatric patients and their families. They were hosted in part by Jim Manzardo, Lurie chaplain and longtime volunteer with Solidarity Bridge. Jim has traveled to Bolivia as a chaplain during Solidarity Bridge’s surgical missions, where he provides spiritual and emotional support to patients and families facing complex medical challenges—mirroring his compassionate work at Lurie.