Spring / Summer Newsletter 2024

In February of this year, the staff of our free medical clinic in Sucre gathered to celebrate their eleven-year anniversary with food, singing, and testimonies. During the celebration, one of our family medicine doctors, Dr. Ivan Cruz, shared the story of a young patient named Joel that he had taken care of.

Joel’s Story

Joel is six years old and goes to a public elementary school. He lives with his mother, father, and five brothers. His father works as a mason’s helper and earns about $17 a day. His mother stays at home to take care of the children. They do not have their own home. They live with Joel’s grandfather about forty minutes by bus from the Sucre clinic.

When Joel was only three months old, he developed bronchitis. His mother did not have money to take him to a doctor, but a neighbor told her about the Mission of Hope clinic in Sucre where all of the treatments and medicines are free. Since then, she has been coming to the Mission of Hope clinic any time someone in the family needs medical attention.

Joel loves to play soccer. In June of 2023, he was hit very hard by a soccer ball on his left leg. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed with a “contusion,” which is like a very bad bruise. He was given pain medicine and sent home. The pain increased to the point that he was unable to move his left foot, so his mother took him to the Mission of Hope clinic. There he was seen by Dr. Ivan, who immobilized Joel’s left leg and arranged for Joel to see a traumatologist. The night before Joel’s appointment with the traumatologist, the pain became unbearable, and he developed a very high fever of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit. He was rushed to a public hospital and admitted. A CT scan revealed acute osteomyelitis, which is a serious infection of the bone that is spread through the bloodstream.

Joel had surgery to clean out the infection in his bone. Following surgery, he was admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Even with all the medicines he was given after surgery, the fever did not come down. An echocardiogram was done to see if the infection had spread to his heart. Thankfully, the echocardiogram showed no signs of infection near the heart. However, despite the doctors’ best efforts, Joel still had a high fever. It was decided that a second surgery was needed to remove any remaining infection of the bone. After the second surgery, the fever subsided, and Joel began to recover. After two weeks in the ICU, Joel was moved to a regular room in the hospital.

Throughout this ordeal, Joel’s mother was in close communication with the Mission of Hope clinic, since Mission of Hope was paying for all of Joel’s expenses in the hospital. Knowing the dire economic situation of the family, the Mission of Hope staff pooled their personal resources and bought groceries, which they took to Joel’s family. When Joel was discharged from the hospital, he was unable to use his left leg and was told that his recovery would be gradual. Joel and his parents came to the Mission of Hope clinic a few days later to thank everyone. Seeing how difficult it was for Joel to walk, he was given a “walker” to use.

Joel was released from the surgeon’s care and placed once again under the care of Dr. Ivan in the Mission of Hope clinic. Joel’s mobility and health then progressed nicely. Joel and his mother were invited to the eleven-year anniversary celebration. Everyone was encouraged by hearing Dr. Ivan tell the full story and by seeing that Joel had completely recovered. Joel is now walking normally and is back to playing soccer

More stories from the Sucre clinic

Nancy is six years old and one of seven children. She is in first grade at school. Her father abandoned the family, and her single mom sells pizzas from a cart in the streets to support the family.

When Nancy developed an infection on her inner thigh, her mother tried treating it with ointment and herbs. The infection did not heal and gradually became worse. It was so painful for Nancy to walk that she stopped going to school. Not knowing what else to do, Nancy’s mother called her sister for advice. Her sister told her about Mission of Hope where everything is free and encouraged her to take Nancy there.

Nancy was seen by Dr. Ivan who drained and cleaned the infected area, which had now developed into an abscess. During the weeks that followed, and as Nancy continued under Dr. Ivan’s care, the abscess completely healed. On April 5th, Nancy and her mother returned to the clinic just to thank everyone for the help that they had received.

Samuel is eleven years old and in 5th grade. He is one of four children and lives with his mother and father. His father works helping to make bricks, and his mother cares for the children at home. Samuel was badly burned on both legs from a kitchen fire. He was hospitalized for four months, during which time he had numerous surgeries and skin grafts.

When Samuel was discharged from the hospital, his parents were instructed to bring him back every day so that doctors could clean and medicate his wounds. They were also expected to purchase the necessary medicines and dressings, but they did not have the money to do that. As a result, Samuel’s wounds became infected.

One day when Samuel’s mother was shopping at the market, she met a friend and told her about the situation with Samuel. The friend told her about Mission of Hope where everything is free, including all of the medicines. After being in Dr. Ivan’s care for several months, Samuel’s wounds healed. Mission of Hope paid for his transportation to and from the clinic and bought all the special medications that were needed to treat the infection. Samuel and his mother also returned to the clinic in April of this year to thank everyone.

Mission of Hope, Bolivia operates two free medical clinics, one in Sucre, Bolivia and one in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The clinics are completely staffed by local Bolivian professionals who see patients Monday through Friday during the morning hours from 8 am until 12:30 pm. The Sucre clinic is small and employs 12 people, including two family medicine doctors. The Santa Cruz clinic is larger and employs 21 people. The Sucre doctors are able to see about 25 patients each day, and the Santa Cruz clinic doctors are able to see about 50 patients each day. Both clinics have their own laboratory and pharmacy. Everything is free, including the consult with the doctor, the lab work, the medicines, and any outside tests that might be indicated.

If you have loved reading the stories in our newsletters, we believe you will love reading the stories in Cindy’s book, Then There Was Someone, the story of Mission of Hope, Bolivia.

To request a copy of the book, email cindy@missionofhopebolivia.org There is no charge for the book. It should also be noted that no Mission of Hope funds were used in the production of this book. It was a gift to the ministry. To God be the Glory.