CTU Returns From Philippine Trip With International Surgical Missions

20 Missionaries. 290 Patients. Thousands Of Smiles.

The 15 hour flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, airport delays, then on to Manila and beyond… that was the easy part for a group of twenty dedicated missionaries traveling as a team of physicians, nurses and technicians who brought much-needed medical care to the indigent inhabitants of the Philippine island of Samar. The team made the journey to the island as part of International Surgical Missions (ISM) at Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo.

Welcome banner for International Surgical Mission Group

Two of these brave missionaries were CTU’s own Cameron Allen and Nikki Holmstedt. Cameron is the Surgical Technology Program Chair for CTU Pueblo; Nikki is a 3rd semester CTU student who also works as a Surgical Technologist Intern for Aberdeen Surgical Center in Pueblo. Along for the trip, was Fox 21 “embedded” reporter Mike Conneen, who kept a detailed and descriptive travelogue on the KXRM Fox 21 website. His accounts, combined with Cameron’s humble recollections of the service they provided to the indigent population of Samar, reveal a mission that was nothing less than a humanitarian effort of Herculean measure.

The experience was a challenge, to say the least. “The conditions are extremely challenging. We are working with very limited supplies in less than ideal conditions. There are bugs of many varieties inside the operating rooms while we are working, along with frequent power outages causing us to work under flashlights,” Cameron recalls.

Nuestra Senora de Salvacion Charity Hospital in Samara provided the surgical theater for the medical personnel who performed 290 medical and surgical procedures which proved life-changing for a very grateful population who otherwise would have no means of obtaining much needed care. Severe medical conditions from bowel obstruction to cleft palates to podiatry were corrected with care by the ISM team in less than ideal conditions and oppressive temperatures. The lives that were changed were not limited to those receiving care—the surgical team’s experience was life-changing as well.

CTU Student, Nikki Holmstedt

These trips give our students real-world surgical experience and continue CTU’s dedication to helping populations who are less fortunate,” explains Cameron.

In his website travelogue, KXRM Fox 21 News reporter, Mike Conneen described the bittersweet day the team departed the island clinic: “The need and the urgency of the need was overwhelming. Even after repeated explanation that the mission had ended and the team was leaving, a crowd of about 20 Filipino patients sat outside the Operating Room doors hoping their names would be called. Patients and their families travel great distances and wait for hours (if not days). A few have even returned after being turned away last year. “

Next year will come, as will more need for missions like this one. The challenges are great, but the team agrees, the rewards are immeasurable.

CTU Surgical Technology Chair, Cameron Allen

This mission came on the heels of a recent trip to Montemorellos, Mexico last November. CTU Surgical Technology student, Natalie Martinez, traveled as part of ISM and Medical Missions International to bring free medical care to the region’s population.
CTU plans to continue its participation in future missions, joining in two trips per year. More information on the ISM group can be found at www.ismissions.com .

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