GLMS FOUNDATION NICARAGUA MISSION the teenage girls of the program , whom she ’ d met in prior trips . An endearing adolescent , she and her family welcomed us to their home with the generosity and hospitality allotted to the closest friends . I spent the majority of the time settled next to her grandfather , the father figure in the family , whose pride for his granddaughter filled every other sentence . She ’ s won this-and-that award , she swims competitively , we visit the library and read often , he shared . And though I saw her in the clinic the following afternoon , this home visit reminds me that her enduring health and wellness must be assured by her passion for education and her highly supportive family .
This trip came at a unique juncture . By the time this article is published , I will have completed residency and started work as an attending . Though serving children in Nicaragua afforded rich opportunities for personal growth , I can ’ t overlook the lessons I absorbed through the people I worked with . These intangibles – what you pick up simply from being present , working alongside and observing those who have lived experiences you haven ’ t , who carry these in their composure and conduct – I soaked up naturally . Our team was a medley of people from all walks of life . We had a retired anesthesiologist who traveled incessantly , a German oncologist who spoke better Spanish than my English , and a volunteer who , in her free time , served immigrant families traveling through Louisville on their way to some final destination . Most importantly , the two who make this yearly trip possible , Ed and Barbara Dunsworth , have dedicated their lives to living in Managua to lead the program that supports these kids ’ education . After four years deeply immersed in the world of medicine , my week in Nicaragua was the perfect experience to reorient my view of medicine ’ s part in a wider perspective
of life . I ’ ve now embarked on that , and this experience helped .
Editor ’ s note : This annual medical mission trip is co-sponsored by the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation and Hand In Hand Ministries .
Dr . Hua is a former resident with the Department of Internal Medicine – Pediatrics at the University of Louisville and is now practicing his specialty at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana , California .
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