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Local nurses get a taste of medical mission experience with Guatemala trip

Five Moose Jaw nurses recently returned from a week-long tip to Guatemala, a precursor to the larger trip the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission will undertake in February
mjimm nurses
This group of Moose Jaw nurses travelled to Patzun, Guatemala for a week of volunteer medical work. (supplied)

A group of Moose Jaw nurses boarded a plane to Guatemala earlier this fall, to join a team of medical professionals for a week of open health clinics in the city of Patzun.

The five nurses spent a week in the city, helping operate a free clinic and surgical operation to provide women with access to a medical clinic and gynecological surgery at no cost. 

For Lisa Parker and Cathy Stewart, it was their first experience volunteering for a medical trip such as this one. For Jackie Wilson, Lindsay Stewart, and Lisa Tipper, this trip was familiar to them thanks to their previous volunteer work with the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission.

“Lisa Parker and Kathy Stewart are amazing nurses here in Moose Jaw and they just jumped right in and they were willing to work their butts off for us,” said Wilson, founder and active member of the MJIMM.

The five nurses joined an assembled team of surgeons and nurses from across Canada and the United States, providing not only their medical expertise but also their familiarity with the surgical room in Patzun. 

“We were invited down there by another team who had surgeons ready to go but didn't have any nursing staff,” said Wilson. “It was a mission of a lot of different people. Actually, we called it the Solidarity Team because it was surgeons from all across the States and some of our nurses were from up here, from Canada, including us.”

During the week, the Solidarity Team was able to provide 14 gynecological surgeries to local women, as well as clinic and triage services. 

The trip was something of a precursor to the MJIMM larger trip coming up in February of 2020, where over 30 volunteers have already pledged their time and assistance to the mission. 

On this annual mission trip, they will provide health services to women, as a team of local doctors and nurses. The group has also put together two stove teams, who will travel the area with stove and water filter kits that they install into families’ homes. 

“It's always a beautiful experience going there and meeting the Guatemalan people. We love it. It reminds us why we do these kinds of things,” said Wilson. 

As of now, the MJIMM is still fundraising to cover the base costs of the trip for their registered members. They have collected about half of their goal of $55,000, and are continuing to fundraise. 

On Nov. 19, they are hosting an evening of painting, cupcakes, and live music at Painting for Patzun, and they have an ongoing raffle for a donated Fifth Avenue Jewellery Tree of Life necklace and earring set that will be drawn on Dec. 5. 

There are a handful of new members signed up for the February mission, and Wilson is really hoping that they enjoy their trip as much as her recent group of nurses did. 

“I am so excited. It's always a treat for me to bring other people along that haven't experienced it before,” said Wilson.

More information about the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission can be found on their Facebook page, including how to support their upcoming trip.

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