MONROE - Apparently, Dr. Lance Sathoff is a planner.
While at a conference five years ago, the orthopedic surgeon at Monroe Clinic learned of other doctors who went on a mission trip to assist victims of an earthquake. Sathoff said he began to piece together a bucket list that February weekend, and a mission trip of his own was on the top.
It didn't have to be medical in nature, but that would be nice given his profession. And what were the odds it could involve human joints?
"I made my list with a timetable of five to 15 years," Sathoff said. "I never dreamed I'd be in Nicaragua exactly five years later doing joint replacements."
But that's just what he and his team of 13 were doing Jan. 31 through Feb. 7 in the town of Chinandega as part of the "Amigos of Christ" program. The mission included assistance in many areas, including the painting of a new school and excavation to help with the flow of water, but the medical assistance packed a big punch.
"In four days, we did eight total hips and five total knees," Sathoff said of his surgeries. "I had most of my team with me, so it was like we were doing them at home."
Another blessing came from the fact a surgical team from Ohio was also there, and had gathered 20 donated implants, ready for installation.
"That allowed us to do this on short notice," Sathoff said.
And yet another was the presence of Karola Boyd, the wife of Monroe Clinic anesthesiologist Jared Boyd. She is a native Nicaraguan who Boyd met on a previous mission trip he took years ago, before he entered the medical field.
"It was great that Nicaragua was our destination," Jared Boyd said. "I already knew the country well, and Nicaragua is safer than many Third World countries.
"My wife still has family there, so we brought our son Luke and he got to stay with them."
Korala's background was put to good use as well.
"We had her in the operating room, where she was translating," Jared Boyd said. "It was very helpful, especially with explaining some of the technical terms."
All involved with the Monroe team paid their own way for their flight, lodging and meals, using personal vacation time. It was the ultimate in volunteerism.
"Very impressive," Sathoff said of his group. "And even more people are saying they want to go for whenever it's the next time."
Jackie Kundert, a registered nurse who was part of the travel team, said it was life-changing for all.
"I knew I wanted to do something like this sometime in my life," she said. "It had a bigger impact on me than it did (on the patients)."
Even some relatives of those from the Clinic traveled along, providing a much-needed scrub nurse and physical therapist in the process. Of the 13, eight had medical skills. The others worked on projects in the town.
"My wife, Daphne, was digging ditches with a pick ax," Sathoff said.
As for the patients, some were in dire straits.
"We had a 24-year-old female in need of a hip who had last had surgery when she was 9 months old," Kundert said. "That's a lot of years of suffering."
The conditions were an eye-opener as well, Kundert said, as sterilization was far from the norm.
"The bandages we'd use with our patients would next be used to wrap a newborn baby in the next room," she said.
The team even lost electrical power during one procedure, having to finish it by the lights of their cell phones.
Meanwhile, beds were lined up in the hallway, as privacy was also an afterthought.
"I actually Skyped with a nurse from there before I went, and she told me to keep an open mind," Kundert said. "But what I saw still brought tears."
When news got out of the team's arrival, additional patients showed up unannounced, Kundert said, so they were squeezed in.
All were in desperate need, she said, and all of them had an their own emotional story.
"We heard things like how their life was now in the hands of God, how it was finally their time," Kundert said. "There are so many there who were so less fortunate."
The lodging arrangements were a brighter picture, thankfully, as the team stayed in a guarded, gated compound. It featured a main dining area and bunk-bed barracks for men and women. Couples had their own quarters.
There was a bit of tourist time on Friday as the trip wound down, with the team enjoying the downtown shops, the beach and a climb on Cerro Negro, an active volcano.
Back home, Monroe was digging out of the winter's worst snow storm.
"Sorry I missed that," Kundert said with a laugh.
While at a conference five years ago, the orthopedic surgeon at Monroe Clinic learned of other doctors who went on a mission trip to assist victims of an earthquake. Sathoff said he began to piece together a bucket list that February weekend, and a mission trip of his own was on the top.
It didn't have to be medical in nature, but that would be nice given his profession. And what were the odds it could involve human joints?
"I made my list with a timetable of five to 15 years," Sathoff said. "I never dreamed I'd be in Nicaragua exactly five years later doing joint replacements."
But that's just what he and his team of 13 were doing Jan. 31 through Feb. 7 in the town of Chinandega as part of the "Amigos of Christ" program. The mission included assistance in many areas, including the painting of a new school and excavation to help with the flow of water, but the medical assistance packed a big punch.
"In four days, we did eight total hips and five total knees," Sathoff said of his surgeries. "I had most of my team with me, so it was like we were doing them at home."
Another blessing came from the fact a surgical team from Ohio was also there, and had gathered 20 donated implants, ready for installation.
"That allowed us to do this on short notice," Sathoff said.
And yet another was the presence of Karola Boyd, the wife of Monroe Clinic anesthesiologist Jared Boyd. She is a native Nicaraguan who Boyd met on a previous mission trip he took years ago, before he entered the medical field.
"It was great that Nicaragua was our destination," Jared Boyd said. "I already knew the country well, and Nicaragua is safer than many Third World countries.
"My wife still has family there, so we brought our son Luke and he got to stay with them."
Korala's background was put to good use as well.
"We had her in the operating room, where she was translating," Jared Boyd said. "It was very helpful, especially with explaining some of the technical terms."
All involved with the Monroe team paid their own way for their flight, lodging and meals, using personal vacation time. It was the ultimate in volunteerism.
"Very impressive," Sathoff said of his group. "And even more people are saying they want to go for whenever it's the next time."
Jackie Kundert, a registered nurse who was part of the travel team, said it was life-changing for all.
"I knew I wanted to do something like this sometime in my life," she said. "It had a bigger impact on me than it did (on the patients)."
Even some relatives of those from the Clinic traveled along, providing a much-needed scrub nurse and physical therapist in the process. Of the 13, eight had medical skills. The others worked on projects in the town.
"My wife, Daphne, was digging ditches with a pick ax," Sathoff said.
As for the patients, some were in dire straits.
"We had a 24-year-old female in need of a hip who had last had surgery when she was 9 months old," Kundert said. "That's a lot of years of suffering."
The conditions were an eye-opener as well, Kundert said, as sterilization was far from the norm.
"The bandages we'd use with our patients would next be used to wrap a newborn baby in the next room," she said.
The team even lost electrical power during one procedure, having to finish it by the lights of their cell phones.
Meanwhile, beds were lined up in the hallway, as privacy was also an afterthought.
"I actually Skyped with a nurse from there before I went, and she told me to keep an open mind," Kundert said. "But what I saw still brought tears."
When news got out of the team's arrival, additional patients showed up unannounced, Kundert said, so they were squeezed in.
All were in desperate need, she said, and all of them had an their own emotional story.
"We heard things like how their life was now in the hands of God, how it was finally their time," Kundert said. "There are so many there who were so less fortunate."
The lodging arrangements were a brighter picture, thankfully, as the team stayed in a guarded, gated compound. It featured a main dining area and bunk-bed barracks for men and women. Couples had their own quarters.
There was a bit of tourist time on Friday as the trip wound down, with the team enjoying the downtown shops, the beach and a climb on Cerro Negro, an active volcano.
Back home, Monroe was digging out of the winter's worst snow storm.
"Sorry I missed that," Kundert said with a laugh.