Day 2 – Team Thompson 923 – Monday, November 9, 2026
Stories That Stay With Us
After six years of volunteering with Team Thompson, I am still moved by the stories our medical professionals share with me. Today, the first day of our clinic week, those stories reminded me how important our work is to the Guatemalan people we serve.
A Mother’s Love, A Teacher’s Advocacy, a Boy’s New Beginning
One patient, a 9-year-old boy with cerebral palsy named Cristian, captured hearts throughout the clinic. He arrived with his mother, his younger brother, and his teacher, a true hero for advocating so fiercely for her student. Pediatrician Dr. Carol Ozawa told me she isn’t sure Cristian’s mother would have known to bring him to the clinic if not for this teacher.
At the clinic, Cristian was seen by Dr. Ozawa and then fitted for a new wheelchair, sized specifically for him by Dr. Irina DeFischer and the mobility clinic team. He was also given a walker, which allowed him to take the first steps of his life.
Our doctors are now working to secure a referral for surgery, which will hopefully correct the contracted tendons in his feet and allow him to stand. They are also seeking a referral for eye surgery to correct his strabismus, a condition in which the eyes do not align with each other when looking at an object.
Thanks to Cristian’s loving mother, his amazing teacher, and so many volunteers on Team Thompson, his life is about to change dramatically.
A Lifetime of Work
Early in the day, Dr. Hilary Bartels met a married couple, both 78 years old, who could not read. While taking the husband’s history, she learned that he never learned to read because he began working at the age of six. He came in with a hernia and wanted to know what he could safely do to keep working, because he has no choice but to work. Dr. Bartels referred him for surgery to repair the hernia.
His story reflects the reality for many people in Totonicapán. Many live in deep poverty and continue to work through hardships that few of us have ever had to face.
Beauty Alongside Hardship
Every day with Team Thompson puts us face to face with hardships many families carry quietly. And every day, we find beauty alongside them. The resilience, warmth, and grace of the Guatemalan people move us in ways we never expect, and they remind us exactly why we came.
Ruth Lacey Photographer and Blogger
