I'm hours away from landing in Guayaquil. 30,000 feet crossing over
the equator, I think about what the next couple weeks will hold for
me, and the rest of the MKI team. For me, this is all new--my first
mission with MKI, my first trip to Ecuador, and my first stay at a
hospital telling the stories of children and their families receiving
life changing medical care.
I've traveled to other developing countries and it follows that
healthcare infrastructure is generally weak--either in terms of
coverage, service expertise, or both. But right now, my thoughts are
less on the what the hospitals will look like, what the state of
medical care is, how Ecuadorians receive basic and advance medical
care, but to how the families we'll be treating in the next couple
weeks found out about MKI. How must it feel, to know that a foreign
medical team is flying into your city to help your child? As
Americans, distance is nearly meaningless. But for most everyone
else, distance to medical providers can be so great that the reality
of modern medicine is unknown. So, I think about how the children
were first diagnosed, what they were told their treatment options
were, and how whatever treatment they received did not solve their
health challenge. MKI's doctors and this mission must be rich in
promise within their eyes.
And to know that all that is happening, the volunteer college
students, the volunteer nurses, the volunteer surgeons, all have been
packing their bags, picking up Ecuadorian travel guides, telling their
loved ones that this will be a time well spent even though they'll be
apart, and heading to airports throughout the US to converge on the
small country in South America to help fulfill the biggest needs of a
number of families, is heart warming.
On a daily basis, I will be writing about our surgical mission here in
Ecuador. Telling the stories of the MKI staff providing care and
comfort. And I hope to write and tell the stories of strength and
dignity of the children and their families overcoming medical
challenges. In addition to writing, we'll be video recording, and
tweeting. I encourage those interested to read through MKI's website,
contact us, and get involved if you wish.
the equator, I think about what the next couple weeks will hold for
me, and the rest of the MKI team. For me, this is all new--my first
mission with MKI, my first trip to Ecuador, and my first stay at a
hospital telling the stories of children and their families receiving
life changing medical care.
I've traveled to other developing countries and it follows that
healthcare infrastructure is generally weak--either in terms of
coverage, service expertise, or both. But right now, my thoughts are
less on the what the hospitals will look like, what the state of
medical care is, how Ecuadorians receive basic and advance medical
care, but to how the families we'll be treating in the next couple
weeks found out about MKI. How must it feel, to know that a foreign
medical team is flying into your city to help your child? As
Americans, distance is nearly meaningless. But for most everyone
else, distance to medical providers can be so great that the reality
of modern medicine is unknown. So, I think about how the children
were first diagnosed, what they were told their treatment options
were, and how whatever treatment they received did not solve their
health challenge. MKI's doctors and this mission must be rich in
promise within their eyes.
And to know that all that is happening, the volunteer college
students, the volunteer nurses, the volunteer surgeons, all have been
packing their bags, picking up Ecuadorian travel guides, telling their
loved ones that this will be a time well spent even though they'll be
apart, and heading to airports throughout the US to converge on the
small country in South America to help fulfill the biggest needs of a
number of families, is heart warming.
On a daily basis, I will be writing about our surgical mission here in
Ecuador. Telling the stories of the MKI staff providing care and
comfort. And I hope to write and tell the stories of strength and
dignity of the children and their families overcoming medical
challenges. In addition to writing, we'll be video recording, and
tweeting. I encourage those interested to read through MKI's website,
contact us, and get involved if you wish.
Zak Kidd, MKI Surgical Mission Volunteer
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