2017 Mission

Over a three week period in February and March, 91 volunteers from all over Canada, the US, Australia and Ecuador changed the lives of 38 adults and 27 children with desperately needed orthopedic surgeries. Two of the adults and five of the children had more than one surgery. 

Our group of professionals also shared knowledge with their Quito colleagues, with two Nursing presentations and two from our Physiotherapists. CAMTA surgeons participated in the Third Annual Conference on Orthopedic Surgical Procedures, giving presentations on four different topics. 

We had some very welcome visitors.   Eric Kendrick and Marialorina Pasquel from the Canadian Embassy in Quito dropped by to meet our team and visit with some of our patients. 

 Staff members from NH Collection Royal Quito, our ‘home away from home” in Quito, arrived at the hospital one day with a surprise lunch: great sandwiches, juices, cookies and a beautiful cake! Speaking of lunch…  Zulay and David Palacios and their very generous friends once again provided lunch at the hospital for our hungry volunteers  every day of the three week Mission! 

Another long time CAMTA supporter,  Byron Ushiña, treated us to two evenings of shopping for his handcrafted Ecuadorean Ancestral Jewelry. Byron donates a piece of his art to be given away to a lucky team member AND discounts his prices for our volunteers, then donates 10% of his sales on those evenings back to CAMTA.

 CAMTA meets the challenge of communicating with our mostly Spanish-speaking patients by bringing hardworking translators with us. We are also grateful to have many locally based translators offer their services.  Miluska Sanchez once again organized a full schedule of local high school students, and some of their mothers, to help with translating. A former surgical patient, Jorge Anibal Chulde Zaruma  comes back every year to translate physiotherapists’ exercise demonstrations in the clinic. CAMTA translator Sammy Ruiz ‘s parents, Hugo and Oliva Ruiz also helped with translating. And  Alex Tapia, a local translator who became a CMATA team member for the 2016 mission and has brought friends with her to help in the clinic and for the past two years, brought her daughter, Mili, this year.  

2017 Team Members

Name	Role
Alessandra Gessner	Physician – Family Practice
Alex Cerezo	Translator
Alexandra Smolinski	Physiotherapist
Aline Pourbaix Young	Administration
Alyssa Chappell	RN – Ward – Pediatric
Alyssa Wilkie	RN – Operating Room – Pediatric
Amy Rausch	RN – Operating Room – Pediatric
Anna Hebert	Physiotherapist
Armando Escalona	Respiratory Therapist
Barb Moreau	Administration
Barbara-Lynne Furler	Physiotherapist
Beverly Runka	RN – Recovery Room – Pediatric
Cathleen Clarke	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Cathy Hutchinson	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Clara Bergen	Physiotherapist
Dasha Johnston	RN – Recovery Room – Pediatric
Deb Chalupa	RN – Ward – Adult
Deborah Mears	Lay Person
Dedra Scott	Respiratory Therapist
Denise Feser	Lay Person
Don Dick	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Pediatric
Donna Brown	RN – Operating Room – Pediatric
Edward Masson	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Adult
Émilie Lavoie	Communications – Mission Blogger
Eric Entwistle	RN – Recovery Room – Adult
Erica Graves	RN – Ward – Adult
Erik Soriano	Physiotherapy Assistant
Erika Nguyen	Physician – Anesthesiologist – Pediatric
Faisal Kassam	RN – Recovery Room – Adult
Francisco Gallardo	Translator
Greg Zinter	Information Technologist/Patient Admitting Clerk
Heather Raitt	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Heather Perl	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Heather Jackman	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Pediatric
Jackie Wiebe	Administration
James Jarvis	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Pediatric
Janet Edmondson	Communications – Mission Blogger
Jim Davies	Lay Person
Jim Raso	Information Technologist/Patient Admitting Clerk
Joanne Montgomery	Physiotherapist
Juanita Davies	Communications – Mission Blogger
Julianna Deutscher	Communications – Mission Blogger
Julie Cadrin	RN – Ward – Pediatric
Karen Calhoun	Lay Person
Karly Murphy	Student – General
Kate McArthur	Student – General
Kathryn Fry	Physician – Anesthesiologist – Pediatric
Kathy Bonitz	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Kayla Strickland	RN – Ward – Adult
Khaled Almansoori	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Pediatric
Krystal Stevely	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Krystal Yuzwenko	Student – Nursing
Lindsay Smitten	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Lisa Bleackley	RN – Ward – Adult
Lorne Feser	Lay Person
Mairi Gordon	RN – Recovery Room – Adult
Marc Moreau	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Pediatric
Maria Echaiz-Eguren	Translator
Marni Wesner	Physician – Family Practice
Masaru Yukawa	Physician – Anesthesiologist – Adult
Matthew Moreau	Travel Person/Logistics
Melisa Martin	RN – Ward – Adult
Michele Derbyshire	RN – Operating Room – Pediatric
Michelle Masson	Student – General
Myriam van Diest	Translator
Natalie Klawitter	RN – Ward – Adult
Natasha Dugas	Student – Nursing
Nathalie Kupfer	Student – General
Neethling van den Heever	Physician – Anesthesiologist – Adult
Olivier Gauthier-Kwan	Resident – Orthopedics
Paul Leung	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Adult
Pauline Worsfold	RN – Recovery Room – Adult
Peggy Prodor	Lay Person
Peter Ratcliff	Lay Person
Rachel Oates	Physiotherapist
Rayanne Hillier	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Ricardo Rodas	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Richard McLeod	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Adult
Robert Seal	Physician – Anesthesiologist – Pediatric
Ryan Wright	Physician – Family Practice
Saison Demitor	O.R. Technician
Sarah Lefebvre	RN – Ward – Adult
Scott Westberg	Resident – Orthopedics
Silvia Martin	Translator
Supriya Singh	Resident – Orthopedics
Surita Sidhu	Physician – Anesthesiologist – Adult
Sussana Gaviria	Translator
Tegan McGraw	RN – Ward – Pediatric
Timothy Kostamo	Physician – Orthopedic Surgeon – Adult
Timothy Smith	Translator
Toby Cubitt	Translator
Tonya Kennedy	RN – Operating Room – Adult
Valentina Merino	Translator
Veronica Kong	Administration
Yvonne Sawchyn	Lay Person