I will be one of the anesthesiologists on a one week surgical mission trip to Guatemala City, Guatemala with members of Team Broken Earth Barrie in October 2022. This will be my fifth mission trip with Team Broken Earth. Our last mission was to Guatemala City in 2019. Due to the pandemic, we haven't been able to return to Guatemala until now.

Our patients will mainly be members of the indigenous Mayan population of Guatemala. Most will come from remote rural areas of the country, often hundreds of kilometres from Guatemala City. They will undergo orthopedic, gynecologic, and general surgical procedures that they would otherwise not be able to access. These are procedures that we, here at home, take for granted, but for many of these Guatemalans, these will be life-changing procedures that will help them to return to a physical status that allows them to work and provide for their families without pain or disability. For me, the gratitude that the patients expressed to us on our last mission trip was the my most unforgettable memory.

Our team of 26 includes surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, an anesthesia assistant, and support staff. Because we have to bring all of our own supplies and drugs for upwards of 70 operations, this is a big undertaking requiring vast resources and funds.

On a personal note, I am thrilled that my son Dr. Elliott Yee, who is a second year resident in General Surgery at the University of Toronto, will be joining our team in Guatemala. Like me, Elliott has an interest in global health and he hopes to make surgery in low and middle income countries a part of his General Surgery career.

I've created my own fundraising page to collect donations in support of this effort. I hope I can count on your support to reach my fundraising goal of $2500.00. Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation.

Elliott has his own separate fundraising page at https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=2250&AID=3524&PID=752128. If you haven't heard from him and would like to support him also, go to his fundraising page or contact him at e.yee@hotmail.com for more details.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!