Day 2

This will post once we get back to the hotel, but.... It is 2030. We're still operating and have at least an hour left in the OR and another half hour in recovery. Dinner has not been eaten, our feet and legs ache, we're tired... But we're still excited to be in San Pedro Sula, helping kids and changing lives. We've all decided that the  mission miracle for this trip was when the head of the World Surgical Foundation, Dr. Alvear performed emergency bowel surgery on a newborn baby who was born with its bowel outside of the abdomen. Had the mission not been in the right place at the right time, that child would have been lost. Today I watched one of our talented surgeons perform a bone graft of a rib, fashion an ear out of it and implant it on a child who had no ear. I also assisted with a skin graft and ear revision. Crazy, amazing surgical procedures going on here in Honduras!

 

 

San Pedro Sulas, Honduras - Screening Day/Unpacking Day

Such a happy child! (picture taken by Shane Burgess)

 

Pre-surgical screening waiting room.

 

 

 

A wheelchair utilized by patients in the hospital.

This is the only wheelchair I have seen thus far.

 

 

 

This is our storage room which has to remain locked so items don't disappear in our absence, even while we're just down the hall in surgery.

 

Today was a great first day! I became more acquainted with the team from the World Surgical Foundation, toured the enormous(compared to what we've worked in during our trips to the Philippines) hospital in which we are working, and got a taste of the culture and their delicious cuisine. Grupo Ayuda is a local organization that is caring for us much like the Rotarians have in the past. We are bused to/from the hospital as a group and provided with delicious meriendas (snacks). They have also been keeping track of us to make sure no one gets left behind in this area of heightened danger. I am so thankful to be a part of this mission!

 

 



 

 

 

 

Feeling Blessed!

We have received some ridiculously generous donations as of late which brings our total amount raised so far to $1400! Thank you so much for your  continued support! I will be heading to Honduras in 11 days and will post pictures and updates along the way.
-Erin

Map

Here is a map of the area in which we will be going in February.

Thank you and website clarification

We've received another donation, bringing our total funds received to $90! We wanted to clarify the donation link. The link takes you to the Colorado Gives website for Uplift Internationale. We chose this route of donation to ensure that the money donated would be given directly to the organization without a fee applied for credit card use. Please place either of our names in the box titled "Special instructions or comments..." if you would like those funds to go toward our trip. Thank you again for your support! We really appreciate it! -Erin & Jason

We received our first donation!
 Thank you so much for your support!

Fundraising

Erin carrying a toddler out of the OR after surgery.

Hello! And welcome to our blog! Jason and I are heading to the Philippines in February and I will be heading to Honduras in October with Uplift Internationale to assist with cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. I have traveled to the Philippines twice in the past with the same organization for the same mission and have found it terribly rewarding. This year we're attempting to raise the majority of the funds for the trip as we have some lifestyle changes in the near future.



One of our beautiful patients waiting to be screened for surgery.

In order for us to help in the way we would love to we would like to meet a goal of $5000. This will help cover flight expenses to each destination. The patients that are treated by Uplift Internationale pay nothing for their surgery and pre/post care. All surgeries are funded by the monies raised by UI throughout the year.

A couple of our talented surgeons at work.

Please consider donating through the Uplift Internationale website.

We will be blogging about the progress toward our goal, past trip experiences and we will blog while on our mission trips in the coming months.

Thank you for your support!

  - Erin & Jason

The outdoor kitchen that fed all patients, families, and UI volunteers during the 2013 mission. The old hospital can be seen in the background. It was abandoned just a few years before this picture was taken.