Day 5: Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Today we began by meeting at 6:00am for breakfast followed by devotional. Firstly, a passage from Thessalonians 5:23, “may you be kept safe in the body, heart, mind…and thus ready for the presence.” The devotion also included mindfulness surrounding our tendency as humans to velcro “the bad stuff” and often teflon the good. I know these ideas are true especially in healthcare, where individuals tend to remember the faults in their work opposed to the healing and good that is consistently present. “You, yourself, as much as anyone in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.” The positivity of our spiritual leaders resonated throughout our team and helped to ground perspective as we left for day two of surgery at Las Obras.

As our team progresses through this week of surgery, the organization and “flow” are advancing. Many members of our team saw a decrease in overall complications in comparison to day one. There is still a consensus of some trouble regarding turnover time of patients, a main concern considering one goal here in Antigua is to treat as many patients as possible with the highest quality of care. Many members of the group had a late night at Las Obras, balancing delegation of cases, scheduling, and post operational duties. Struggles create growth, and through this week it has been a pleasure to witness our team exhibit this development.

The team is satisfied with our performance today, and as always, the love and gratitude from patients provides fulfillment for all of our members. We ended day two of surgery with a recap and taco Tuesday dinner. The team is thankful to have the wonderful Quinta de Las Flores staff providing us with meals to refuel mentally and physically each day. The third day of surgery is tomorrow, eager for what the future holds.

-Spencer Kang

To support this team and their commitment to our patient’s visit:

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