Women to the Rescue: All Girl Medical Missions
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For the poor who live in developing nations, repairing a cleft lip, cataracts, or severe burns is not an option. Most are forced to live with their condition and are shunned by their own communities. But some are finally getting the help they need at the hands of a tireless group of American women.
If you find this difficult to look at, imagine how hard it must be to live with. This is the reality for those in countries without the medical expertise or money for surgery. It's no surprise then that local clinics are swamped when Denise Cucurny and Amy Wandel, M.D., come to town. The anthropologist and plastic surgeon, with a team of female doctors and nurses, travel the world fixing cleft lips, cataracts, burns and cavities
From the Himalayas to Laos, to Ecuador women for world health has a simple goal...
"I want to save the world," Cucurny told Ivanhoe. "I want to save the world one patient at a time. That's my goal."
From her California home, Cucurny lays the groundwork. Volunteers like Dottie Baker, R.N., organize supplies. Dozens of suitcases will carry equipment for two operating rooms, a clinic and a recovery room. Forget something and they're out of luck. They're often isolated, work in primitive conditions and struggle to communicate.
"On whatever level we can," Baker said. "A lot of times it's just hand signals or a hug here or there sometimes."
Their gender, they say, opens doors and builds trust.
"We're accepted places where men might not be accepted because we tend to come as non-threatening, non-violent, nurturing, giving people," Dr. Wandel explained.
Handing your child to a stranger can't be easy, but their trust pays off. In the hands of this team, children are given a shot at a better life. And for these women, that beats any paycheck they'd earn back home
Women for world health relies on volunteers and donations to make their missions work. Cucurny says 95 percent of money donated goes directly to the missions.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Women for World Health, Inc., (714) 717-5171
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