Two local healthcare workers with over 50 years of combined service in their respective fields recently returned from a mission trip to Guatemala, where they helped save lives.
Ken Beach, a semi-retired certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and Wanda Stepan, a surgical technician at Emplify Health by Gundersen in West Union, recently completed a weeklong trip to Central America, where they assisted with dozens of surgeries through an organization called Guatemala Health Talents International (HTI).
“I have been going to Guatemala for 16 years and first learned about HTI when I was in college,” explained Beach, a now retired CRNA with over 30 total years of experience, including many years with Emplify Health by Gundersen. “I was first exposed to HTI through a third-world nursing class while I was studying in college, which turned out to be a life-changing experience that really shaped the way I look at my career in medicine and helped me realize how good we have it here in the United States.”
The way HTI operates is by sending monthly teams of U.S.-based surgical teams to Health Talents International Clinca Ezell in Guatemala to perform operations.
“Healthcare access in Central America is not easily accessible and they simply do not have the resources that we have here in the United States to be able to keep up with the needs they have,” continued Beach. “The goal is for them to eventually be able to operate on their own, but right now there is at least one or two groups of volunteers which travel to Guatemala a month to perform routine operations.”
While Beach has made many trips throughout his lifetime, this summer marked the first such trip for Stepan of Eldorado.
“Ken has been encouraging myself and others here to consider volunteering and signing up for a trip for years,” said Stepan. “I was able to finally make it work this year, and it truly does change your world. We don’t realize how good we have it until seeing how much of a struggle that places like Guatemala and the rest of Central America have it.”
The two veterans in the medical field went on to agree that one of the most empowering parts of their experience was how well their medical team worked together despite being made up of complete strangers.
“We were there from July 18 through 26 with five working days of surgeries,” Stepan explained. “When we first got there, I didn’t know anyone else on our surgery team as they were all volunteers from around the U.S.
“Seeing how well we were able to work together despite this and without having the same technology we are all used to back at home was something that truly amazed me,” she continued. “By the time we left, I felt as though I had been working alongside this group for years with the amount of trust we built throughout the week, as well as our shared passion of being there with the goal to help others.”
Beach and Stepan went on to note that the hospital and operating rooms they worked in while in Guatemala were comparable in size to that of Emplify Health by Gundersen’s in West Union. However, the technology was much different.
“We have both been doing this for a long time, so a lot of the equipment was familiar to the both of us from earlier years of our careers here in the U.S.,” explained Beach. “It really wasn’t a factor in our ability to treat these patients, we just found a way to work with what we were supplied and make it work.”
Both Beach and Stepan agreed this would certainly not be their last trip to Guatemala for service, as they are already working on plans for their next mission trips.
“When going on one of these trips, I really felt the sense of meeting a need for these patients that we don’t necessarily experience here in the United States,” said Beach. “Having done this for 16 years, I’ve made a lot of trips and see many of the same familiar faces around the hospital who remember me and greet me by name. Seeing that kind of appreciation for what we do is what keeps me coming back.”
Beach and Stepan are currently working on planning their return to Health Talents International Clinca Ezell in Guatemala next summer, as each member of the monthly mission trip teams pays for the experience out of their own pocket to be able to attend.
“I can truly say that this eye-opening experience has changed the way I look at what I do,” closed Stepan. “It showed me the importance of what we are able to do here in the U.S., as many of these people we operated on simply would not have the means to seek comfort and would have to live with many of these conditions for the remainder of their lives. The experience was something I will never forget, and will keep me returning for hopefully numerous years to come.”
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