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By On June 6, 1998, a group of medical missionaries left Kansas City for Antigua, Guatemala. The group was sponsored by the Medical Missions Foundation and consisted of medical professionals & volunteers from Kansas City, New Orleans, Dallas, Seattle and Missouri. Regina Ancola-Upton & Corazon Zamora were the volunteers from the PNAGKC. The goals of the mission were to perform as many free surgeries as possible and to provide medical supplies and financial support to the people of Antigua and its surrounding villages. Antigua is located in a mountainous region in south Guatemala. The city is nestled 5080 feet above sea level. Visible from anywhere in town is Volcan Agua so named because it destroyed Antigua 400 years ago with a mudslide. Antigua, essentially meaning "old" is indeed rich with history, fascinating ruins and unique one-story buildings. The medical mission team’s main focus was on the children needing various surgical services. Parents brought children with cleft lips, cleft palate, scars, burns, malformed facial features, clubbed feet, malformed bones, muscles and ligaments. There was an initial list of 300 cases. The team faced disparaging times when surgeries were not done due to the complexity and risks involved taking into consideration the limited resources, facilities and the limited time of a week to accomplish the cases. A total of 52 surgeries were performed in what was once a Spanish church and monastery built in the 1500’s. The Herman Pedro is now equipped with 3 operating rooms, all built with contributions received from around the world. The facility is also home to the mentally and physically handicapped children and adults of the area. The team also offered outpatient clinical services and free medications for the week’s stay in Antigua. The team also included a dentist, a hygienist, and a dental surgeon who opened a dental clinic in San Andres, Ixtapa further up in the mountains. A total of 200 tooth extractions, fillings, as well as significant hygiene education were completed. The medical mission team accomplished much but wished they could have done more. Guatemala is one of the poorest nations in the world with a constant and urgent need for medical and humanitarian assistance. Despite its beauty, poverty, pollution and diseases are pervasive. The mission was a rewarding and humbling experience. The team worked very well together and enjoyed sharing the experience with the Obra’s staff. New bonds of friendship were forged within the team and the people of Guatemala. Our work was a gift to Guatemala but our service to other people made us realize how minute our problems really are. It was an unforgettable trip that kindled the desire to do more, to be a part of medical missions in the future to other parts of the globe. |
Antigua, Guatemala
