I went as a general volunteer and my mom went as a nurse. My jobs consisted of cleaning the operating rooms between surgeries, drying washed instruments, and cleaning up around the surgery center. In between jobs I had the amazing opportunity to observe surgeries and even scrub in on one! I also got to spend a few of my afternoons playing with the pequeños on the ranch. My mom worked as a PACU nurse. This means she helped the patients as soon as they were out of surgery. She helped them wake up, checked their vitals, and assessed their pain levels. Everyone was so grateful for our little bit of help and that made us feel very accomplished.

 

This trip taught me a lot, but most importantly not to take what I have for granted. These people waited for years before being given the rare opportunity to have medical attention. Here in the United States, emergency medical care can be called with the touch of a button and will arrive in minutes. Not once did I hear one of the patients complain. They were so grateful for what they were receiving that they just smiled and thanked us. I am also very excited to be able to brush my teeth with clean tap water and not have to worry about cockroaches crawling in my bed! This opportunity was extremely eye opening and I can't wait to go back again.

 

I want to thank the Gerstell Community for participating in the Falcon Outreach program in providing supplies to take to Honduras. As a community we were able to gather enough supplies to fill four duffle bags:

It is humbling to see so much support. We were very impressed with this organization There are great stories and continuous opportunities to volunteer and help. As a family we have decided to sponsor a child and we hope our contribution will help them be successful. Thank you to all for your support.