Opal House Medical Mission, Guatemala

Guatemala Medical Mission 2019

The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. Read More

The Miracle of Ester

Every March a group of medical professions travel to San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala to perform orthopedic surgery on 50 children. This is the story of Ester Mateo Perez, a young Guatemalan girl born with clubfeet and how this mission altered her life.

Elizabeth “Libby” Weber, MD

An interview with Dr Libby Weber, a resident orthopedic surgeon at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St Paul, MN. The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Read More

Dr Weber was part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children. The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. This video is about a medical mission team of over 35 self-sponsored volunteers going on their eighth trip to a poor area of Guatemala (San Lucas Mission). It is is organized and supported as a collaboration between Opal House, the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club and Gillette Children’s Specialty Care. Although the team concentrates on treating clubfoot (Ponseti International) and other lower extremity deformities (Podiatry Institute), it also focuses on most pediatric orthopedic conditions needing attention in a third world setting. The results of these surgeries are nothing short of life-changing.

Mark Estvold

Steve Miller, Medical Mission Team Leader gave a presentation on a mission to my Rotary Club. After the presentation I spoke briefly with Steve and let him know I was very interested in serving internationally those in need but was concerned my background in the construction industry and limited time availability would lend to doing so. 6 months later Steve contacted me with an opportunity to serve on the organizational end of the mission, both at home prior to the mission and then on the mission. Read More

This role as team administrator/facilitator has been a great fit for me, both with my personal interests and skills, as a result I just completed my 13th international medical mission.

Bill Martin X Ray technician

An interview with Bill Martin, an X-ray Technician. The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Dr Weber was part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children.

If you wish to donate: Please make checks out to our sponsor charity: Fidalgo Island Rotary Foundation, PO Box 125, Anacortes, WA 98221 Note on check Miller Medical Missions. The foundation is a 501 C 3. & each donor will receive a tax-deductible receipt for their contribution.

Constantine Kokenes, MD, Anesthesiologist, Guatemala Medical Mission.

An interview with Dr Constantine Kokenes, MD, is an anesthesiologist in Lithonia, Georgia and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Emory Decatur Hospital and Emory Hillandale Hospital. He has been in practice for more than 20 years. The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Dr Kokenes was part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children. Read More

× The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. This video is about a medical mission team of over 35 self-sponsored volunteers going on their eighth trip to a poor area of Guatemala (San Lucas Mission). It is is organized and supported as a collaboration between Opal House, the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club and Gillette Children’s Specialty Care. Although the team concentrates on treating clubfoot (Ponseti International) and other lower extremity deformities (Podiatry Institute), it also focuses on most pediatric orthopedic conditions needing attention in a third world setting. The results of these surgeries are nothing short of life-changing.

An interview with Marcy Shapley, PA-C, a volunteer on a medical mission in Guatemala

Marcy Shapley PA-C has been working in primary care (internal medicine and family practice) since graduating from Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon in 1998. She received her BS from Michigan State University before moving to the Pacific Northwest, and lives and works in Skagit Valley, north of Seattle. Read More

The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Marcy was part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children. The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. This video is about a medical mission team of over 35 self-sponsored volunteers going on their eighth trip to a poor area of Guatemala (San Lucas Mission). It is is organized and supported as a collaboration between Opal House, the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club and Gillette Children’s Specialty Care. Although the team concentrates on treating clubfoot (Ponseti International) and other lower extremity deformities (Podiatry Institute), it also focuses on most pediatric orthopedic conditions needing attention in a third world setting. The results of these surgeries are nothing short of life-changing.

Dr Mark Blackman and Karen Blackman, RN volunteers on a medical mission in Guatemala

Karen Backman, RN, and Mark Backman M.D., have combined for over 60 years of work in health care. Both graduated from the University of Washington before residency training took them to Rochester NY for three years. Subsequently they moved to Anacortes WA, a smaller coastal community on the Salish Sea. Read More

Karen had a breadth of experience prior to her final position working in a local Community Health Clinic for two decades, and then finally retiring a few years ago. Mark was a busy Family Physician enjoying the opportunity to care for people of all ages and truly experiencing the breadth of work in a smaller community, including participating in over 1,000 deliveries! Together they have raised three children, all married now and scattered across the country. They have four grandchildren each of whom are healthy and well. This is their first opportunity to work together professionally! The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Karen and Mark were part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children. The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. This video is about a medical mission team of over 35 self-sponsored volunteers going on their eighth trip to a poor area of Guatemala (San Lucas Mission). It is is organized and supported as a collaboration between Opal House, the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club and Gillette Children’s Specialty Care. Although the team concentrates on treating clubfoot (Ponseti International) and other lower extremity deformities (Podiatry Institute), it also focuses on most pediatric orthopedic conditions needing attention in a third world setting. The results of these surgeries are nothing short of life-changing.

Matt Gerber - A Rotarian Life

Matt Gerber describes how Rotary has shaped his life enabling him to reach his life dream, putting service above self. From the first time Matt was accepted to become a Rotary Exchange Student in high school, he’s been actively involved with Rotary–Rotary/Rotaract/Interact Clubs, RYLA, Camp Enterprise–as a member, keynote speaker, mentor and group leader.Read More

Matt works as a Strategist with Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS). He works with senior executives of NGOs and corporations alike to have a disruptive vision of adding value to the world, driven by an innovative strategy, and with execution that inspires every level of the organization: The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Matt were part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children. The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. This video is about a medical mission team of over 35 self-sponsored volunteers going on their eighth trip to a poor area of Guatemala (San Lucas Mission). It is is organized and supported as a collaboration between Opal House, the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club and Gillette Children’s Specialty Care. Although the team concentrates on treating clubfoot (Ponseti International) and other lower extremity deformities (Podiatry Institute), it also focuses on most pediatric orthopedic conditions needing attention in a third world setting. The results of these surgeries are nothing short of life-changing.

An interview with Dr Carl Kihm and Maggee Sagebiel, RN volunteers on a medical mission in Guatemala.

Dr Kihm earned his doctorate in Philadelphia at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. After completing a three-year surgical residency training program at DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia. He moved to Louisville in 2016.Read More

Here, He’s active in training residents and students at the Norton podiatric residency program. He’s a board-certified fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and diplomat of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. He specializes in foot and ankle reconstructive surgeries in pediatric and adult patients. He’s a faculty member of the Podiatry Institute, an international teaching foundation for reconstructive surgery. He has authored surgery textbook chapters and many journal articles. He teaches, lecture and operate across the country and third world He has completed seven surgery mission trips in Nepal and Guatemala. With limited resources, he volunteers his time, heart and expertise to treat pediatric patients with severe congenital conditions and the adult patients with neglected congenital deformity. Maggee Sagebiel, RN, works at Norton Audubon Hospital. She recently left the Intensive Care Unit and now works in Interventional Radiology. She studied pre-med biology at Indiana university but then switched to nursing and finished at Ivy Tech in Indiana. She’s been a nurse for seven years. December 2019, in front of the Eiffel Tower, Carl proposed to Maggee. The interview was conducted in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where Karen and Mark were part of a Rotary volunteer medical team performing orthopedic surgeries on 51 local children. The desire to serve the poor with donated medical skills supported by volunteers from other walks of life takes a combination of commitment, generosity and compassion along with the patience to work with other skilled people on the same team. This video is about a medical mission team of over 35 self-sponsored volunteers going on their eighth trip to a poor area of Guatemala (San Lucas Mission). It is is organized and supported as a collaboration between Opal House, the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club and Gillette Children’s Specialty Care. Although the team concentrates on treating clubfoot (Ponseti International) and other lower extremity deformities (Podiatry Institute), it also focuses on most pediatric orthopedic conditions needing attention in a third world setting. The results of these surgeries are nothing short of life-changing.