This October, I will be travelling to Antigua, Guatemala with Team Broken Earth, Team Barrie for my first surgical mission. I am fundraising $2,700 to cover the costs of my participation. If you are able to contribute, I would be incredibly grateful for your support.

Team Broken Earth has been a part of my life for almost a decade. When I was eight, my mom, Dr. Tina Whitty, travelled to Haiti on her first surgical mission with Team Broken Earth, Team Newfoundland. She and my dad, Ray Ryan, a Lieutenant-Colonel and Logistics Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, later started Team Broken Earth’s Barrie team, and I have grown up watching they and their team return year after year to provide care to patients in need.

I have always helped where I could from home, but I have never had the opportunity to contribute directly on a mission. Now, as I enter my third year of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa and am pursuing a future career in medicine, I am excited to finally contribute to a mission myself.

I am joining as a student volunteer and logistics support, and will support the healthcare team with pre-trip planning, social media and other behind-the-scenes responsibilities. After years of supporting Team Barrie from home, I am grateful to finally contribute on the ground in Guatemala.

Our team will provide surgical care to patients from rural Guatemalan communities, in the specialties of General surgery, Orthopaedics, and Plastic surgery. Many of these patients face significant barriers to accessing surgical care, and our local partner organization, Partner for Surgery, helps facilitate this vital connection to our surgical patients.

For me, this mission is an opportunity to learn about healthcare beyond Canada, better understand the barriers patients face in under resourced countries, and contribute to a team that has been doing this work for many years.

Thank you for supporting me and Team Broken Earth, Team Barrie. I am excited to share the experience and the impact of our team when we return from Guatemala.