"The thing that most impressed me was the first time HCI came to our hospital, Dr. Lelli (HCI volunteer pediatric surgeon) spoke to us and said, 'How would you like us to help you? That would be the most important thing for you to learn? How can we work together?' And so I was willing to work with HCI because they wanted to teach us and help us take care of our own people. For that I am very grateful."
Dr. Alfredo Valle, Surgeon, La Mascota Hospital, Nicaragua
"People come from miles with their kids to the clinic, especially when they are really sick and so they are motivated to care for them. We see lots of kids that have never seen a physician before. The thing that I was most struck by were the older kids with previously undiagnosed conditions, things like spina bifida, things that get picked up in the States as infants."
Dr. Stephen Patrick, Volunteer
"My eyes were definitely opened when I came here. I had never seen anything like this before ... especially to see children that didn't have shoes and were covered with scabies. It was one of those moments that broke my heart."
Laura Rutledge, MSW, Volunteer