Dollie Ambassador Pat Lasater embarked on her sixth medical mission trip with All Saints’ Episcopal Church Beverly Hills to Honduras. This is the 16th year the church has gone to Honduras to deliver medical care and supplies to families in far reaching places.  Pat shared some reflections on her recent visit:
“The people are so grateful and happy to see us. The children really like the Dollies and Teddy Bears… you can see their eyes light up when one of our volunteers offers one to them.  Usually we give them out when the family is done receiving all their medications, so it’s an extra really nice treat for the kids. One little girl had a painful procedure done as her face was very infected due to a dog bite.  Right after we finished cleaning and medicating the wound we handed her a Dollie to help soften the pain.
This year we visited two new clinics in Honduras.  One clinic was in the heart of a gang territory, and the front door was controlled by one gang, and the exit door was controlled by another gang.  All vehicles had to be ok’d by the gang in front.  We were escorted inside by the Episcopal Church van.  The only time we got nervous was when dusk would appear and while we still had work to do we needed to leave due to safety reasons. Â
Along with dispensing medication and vitamins, we also performed surgery. Â One little baby was brought in with severe cleft palate and lip. Â Our church in Beverly Hills is raising money to pay for the subsequent three surgeries this baby will need. Â The local padre from the church is very helpful in our being able to follow up and care for this family. Â
Thank you for bringing joy and happiness to children who are in need of medical care… and for bringing sunshine into an otherwise stressful day!”
