Serving as a chaplain on this mission trip has made me realize how out of order my own worries and preoccupations can be. The patients and their relatives I met during this mission trip made me realize that I already have the most important and valuable things in life: my family is healthy, and most importantly, we are alive. We often take life and health for granted, without realizing that they are the most precious gifts we have. 

Solidarity Bridge recently concluded its sixth Oncological Surgery Mission Trip to the Cancer Institute of Eastern Bolivia, Bolivia’s main public cancer hospital. Four of the ten patients treated have advanced pancreatic cancers… The Whipple is described as one of the most complex abdominal surgeries. Surgeons who want to master the Whipple need to participate in as many surgeries as they can alongside more-experienced peers who can mentor them on how to assess and proceed in every unique scenario. 

On April 25, 2026, Solidarity Bridge’s Neurosurgery and Neurology Institute (NNI) convened partners in Chicago for a groundbreaking symposium focused on strengthening global neurosurgical care through a more integrative approach. Leaders in neurosurgery, neurology, and multidisciplinary neuro care joined from institutions across the United States, alongside partners from Paraguay and Bolivia. Many of these collaborators have spent the past seven years working with Solidarity Bridge to develop a model that moves beyond short-term interventions and focuses on building complete, locally led systems of care.

Before my first trip, a colleague who has traveled with Solidarity Bridge told me, “This experience will remind you why you chose healthcare.” She was absolutely right. This oncological surgery mission trip was a reset. It challenged me, grounded me, and ultimately renewed my sense of purpose. I returned home not only reinvigorated, but deeply grateful.

As we observe Holy Week along with communities across Bolivia and Latin America, we are reminded that the Easter Triduum—the summit of the Catholic liturgical year—stands at the heart of our faith. Though the Easter Triduum is celebrated on three separate days, it is really a single liturgical moment divided into three: Holy Thursday in remembrance of the Last Supper, Good Friday in remembrance of the Lord's passion on the cross, and the Easter Vigil in celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. Do these three parts matter for our lives and for our mission at Solidarity Bridge? 

As we journey through the season of Lent, the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving help us deepen our spiritual lives in preparation for Easter. Almsgiving, the act of responding generously to the needs of others, is an act of joy. At Solidarity Bridge, we see this spirit of joyful generosity lived out through people like Margaret Flanagan and her family. Margaret has supported Solidarity Bridge for over 15 years. She became involved through her late father, Dr. Bob LaPata, a physician remembered not only for his medical skills, but for his compassion, humility, and generosity.

Sometimes, success is not defined by a successful surgical outcome but by having the courage to make difficult decisions that protect patients’ lives. As this year’s Neurotrauma Mission Trip began, Simon was waiting with his mother outside the neurosurgery clinic for his chance to be seen by the Solidarity Bridge NNI team for his pre-op screening evaluation. They hoped the surgical team could relieve the unrelenting pain Simon suffered from Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Candice and Dr. Fuentes spent a good portion of each day together, examining patients, making diagnoses, and consulting on treatment plans. Both agree that there are many benefits to the cross-cultural sharing of knowledge they experienced during their week together.  While the patients have benefited from the experience, so have Candice and Dr. Fuentes. Dr. Fuentes shared, “The experience was really amazing.  We’ve been sharing treatment plans; some are the same and some are different than in the U.S. ” He continued,  “It has been really beneficial for both of us because we have been able to discuss criteria for diseases and how a patient’s presentation for an illness might vary in different regions of the world.

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.