Team Vancouver: Guatemala City, Oct ‘22

We’re sending our 3^rd team to Guatemala!

To date, Team Broken Earth Vancouver volunteers have performed 116 surgeries in Guatemala City and this October we are hoping to do 70-80 more….with your help. We are bringing bring four specialized OR teams to perform essential surgeries in women’s health/gynecology, orthopedics, general surgery, and plastic surgery. In addition to surgical teams, our team will also be supported by acute care nurses in both the pre and post-operative areas. A radiologist and radiology technician will also participate in the mission and provide educational support to local staff in ultrasound and fluoroscopy.

In addition to surgical care, our team will implement a capacity-building project developed over our two-year hiatus from volunteering due to the global pandemic. After identifying a need to improve access to patient health information for local and international health care providers, a comprehensive pre-surgical screening electronic platform was developed. This project was a joint venture between ‘Thrive Health’, ‘Partner for Surgery’ ‘Team Broken Earth Vancouver’ and St. Paul’s Hospital anesthesia department. After years of platform development to support the unique surgical care pathway of the Indigenous Mayan patients in Guatemala, we are ready to “go live” on this upcoming mission.

We can’t do this life-changing work without your help. Please support our team as we change the lives of up to 80 people in need.
Donate here!

“Our volunteer surgical team is one component in a much larger collaborative health effort championed by the locally-based non-profit organization ‘Partner for Surgery’. Together, our primary goal is to provide free surgical care to the Indigenous Mayan people of Guatemala who have minimal or no access to basic healthcare, never mind specialized surgery. Each surgery we perform is essential, not only for the patient, but for their family and community. Although every patient is unique, many of the stories they share are similar. Before surgery, most patients report not being able to work or care for their families due to surgically correctable ailments. After surgery to repair such issues like hernias, uterine prolapse, or bone deformities from past injuries, our patients return to their families and villages and are able to resume their lives. But, one of the greatest experiences to witness is the look on a mother or fathers’ face when they see their baby for the first time after surgery to correct a cleft lip or palate. The hugs, smiles, and tears of joy, from a parent when reunited with their child are universal. These moments always have a profound impact not only for the patient and family, but for the volunteers well. This is what keeps us coming back year after year”.

– Kristi Lange, RN, Team Lead ‘Team Broken Earth Vancouver’

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Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Team Vancouver: Guatemala City, Oct ‘22

We’re sending our 3rd team to Guatemala!

We’re sending our 3^rd team to Guatemala!