Post by Susan Krigel
By the end of the day on Wednesday, the surgical teams had completed 50 surgeries. Alyssa Rammer has been the keeper of the "white board," the board which displays the day's surgeries. Alyssa has kept track of the surgery teams headed by the brothers Cannova, Chris, whose specialty is orthopedic surgery, Joe, the plastic surgeon, and Tammy Neblock-Beirne, the general surgeon.
Tammy's team usually consists of Dee Milton, Reidun Fuemmeler, Peg LaMourie, and Mike McCartney. Dee reported they have performed surgeries for gall bladders, hernia repairs, and the removal of masses. She commented that in general the surgeries were comparable to the same surgeries in the US, but they often took longer because the patients had had to cope with their conditions longer before having surgery. This is Dee's second mission trip to Guatemala, and she wanted to return because she liked helping people who wouldn't be helped if she weren't around.
Another mission veteran is Peg, who has been on 10 MMF missions. Peg remarked "As a member of a mission, you are a guest of both the country and the institution. It's important to build relationships with both, and it can be as easy as trying to speak Spanish with someone." She said that operating an another country requires one to be both flexible and creative. "As Americans, we often think we know it all, but if you are accepting, you can learn from both the local staff and the other team members." Tammy said she has had an "excellent team" working with her. Today Tammy and her team have kept two rooms going, one manned by Orbras nurses and other support people, and one manned by an MMF team.
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