World Pediatric Project, a nonprofit that brings specialized care to 2,000 children each year in Central America and the Caribbean. Lauren has completed three trips so far and is looking ahead to number four.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the physician population density in Honduras is 0.37 physicians per 1,000 people. Access to specialized care is as limited as the funds to pay for it. But families there are so desperate to get help for their children, Lauren says, they join forces and hold fundraisers. (A majority is covered by donations but the family is responsible for a small portion of the procedure). Lauren accompanies a surgeon and small surgical team to give hope to children living with spinal deficiencies.
“These families travel eight hours, up to two days to see us,” she said. “You can’t possibly even really understand what it’s like to be out there. It’s the looks on kids’ faces when they’re in the waiting room. They look up to you.”
Unfortunately, not everyone who travels these great lengths will be treated during the mission. The team is there for a week and the surgeon must be selective for safety purposes, taking cases that they are equipped to handle. The facility in which they work is not a functioning hospital so the week begins building their own operating room – from all the instrumentation to booties, to hairnets, and masks. In all, they see around 15 children for the week and the more complex cases have the opportunity for the organization’s U.S. referral program.
