It’s hard to believe we’re already back in Michigan, and soon we’ll be back into full swing with classes, exams, and Michigan winter. After months of planning, our trip has finally come to an end. From salsa lessons to needs assessment workshops, our group put in countless hours to make M-HEAL’s first SANA trip a success, and although there were bumps along the way, I wouldn’t change anything about our experience. In just one week, we collected a ton of data about the current healthcare system in Guatemala that we would not have been able to access otherwise. More importantly, we got to work alongside and get to know so many passionate people trying to better their communities. Even with such limited supplies and support, the individuals and organizations we worked with were still able to help hundreds of patients in just one week.
While it’s sad to see this trip end, I can’t help but smile when looking through pictures and thinking of all the good that will come from this. Aside from having the opportunity to provide healthcare to hundreds of people, I am lucky to say that each of my fellow travelers are my SANAmigos who I have shared so many wonderful memories with. Throughout the entire trip process, I have been blown away by how much our travelers stepped up to go above and beyond what was asked of them. From collecting over 150 pounds of medical donations to giving real-time social media updates to gaining IRB approval, our travelers have ensured that our first SANA program was a success. With 11 of our 16 travelers being sophomores or younger, I’m very excited to see what the future holds for M-HEAL and know that we are in good hands.
Although exams and the busyness of life await me when I wake up tomorrow, I think this trip gave all of us a reality check and really put things in perspective. Too often I feel like I’m going from one thing to the next, without taking the time to really appreciate the time in between. I’ve realized that while school and other commitments are important, we can’t get so caught up in what we are doing that we forget to enjoy the little things and see the big picture. I think our entire group realized how fortunate we are and how insignificant some of our worries are in the scheme of things; 5 years from now, will it matter what grade we got on our biochem exam, or would we rather talk about all of the people we met and memories we made while volunteering in Guatemala? I think it’s important for us to be aware of how privileged we are to be in good health and to have so many opportunities available to us as students. This privilege unfortunately is not available to everyone, usually due to factors outside of a person’s control. By recognizing this and remembering what we saw in Guatemala, I think our group has been inspired and motivated to use what tools we have to improve the lives of those around us, both in our current work as well as our future careers as engineers and doctors. As we saw from our local partners in Guatemala, regardless of circumstances, anyone can make a difference with hard work, perseverance, and a passion for what they do.
- Erik Thomas