First Sponsored Surgery



(copied from old blog. entry dated: 9/3/2007 7:51:00 PM)
Just recently we had the joy of being involved in one of God’s miracles. Sometimes if you are looking for the opportunity He will include you in His blessings.
Roger Ramos is a 33 year old man from Brisas de Lean, one of the villages that is serviced by the health centre of Las Minas. He was struck by a car back in July during one of his trips into the town of Tela. As a result he broke the bone in his forearm two-thirds from his right elbow. This location and type of fracture required that he be intervened surgically using metal plates and screws to align the bone. He had been into the Tela government-hospital and had been told to return at least 4 or 5 times, each trip costs about L100 ($5.00) and a day away from work. The healing process was causing an erroneous fusing of the two bone fragments and because they were not aligned correctly, Roger was going to have limited function of his right hand. This is especially disturbing considering he is the sole earner in his young family with three kids to feed and a wife. When I heard of his case, I presented him to an Orthopedic surgeon at the hospital where I did my internship in La Ceiba. There I was able to admit him and the next day we were wheeling him into the Operating Room. The plate and screws were $200, which John Taylor upon hearing of the need volunteered to pay for the whole amount. This last Saturday Roger was released from Hospital Atlantida and is now recovering back at his village in Brisas de Lean. When I next go out to Las Minas I will take out the sutures and check on his post-op physical therapy.


This is me and patient (Roger Ramos) before his operation at Hospital Atlantida.


This is Dr Gonzales (orthopedic surgeon) and I prepping the patient in Hospital Atlantida’s OR #1.


This is the metal plate and screws aligning Roger’s forearm fracture.