Today was a later and longer day at the hospital than expected, but our team was determined to finish all scheduled surgeries (6, to be precise) and ensure all patients were taken care of and comfortable before calling it a day. One of our surgery patients today asked to keep a small knitted doll we had given her close to her heart throughout her surgery. Of course, we obliged and were touched by her appreciation and faith in our team. While our OR doctors, nurses and processing volunteers worked hard to get patients successfully through the operating room, our ward and physio team continued their work with patients who were recovering. We are proud to announce that we were able to send another two patients home today!

Not everyone is enjoying a speedy recovery, however. We do have a few patients who are finding their recovery to be slower and a little more painful- this is not unexpected for us as some patients require unique procedures in the operating room and our wonderful nurses and therapists are doing an excellent job of guiding them through the healing process.

Today was also a solemn day for the True North Missions team. A young girl who was in surgery last night lost her beloved father to a battle with cancer, while she was undergoing her procedure. In her time of need, our team members have shown tremendous compassion, care and respect- the best we can do for this young women is support her recovery and share the love in our hearts, which is exactly what we intend to do. We would like to send our sincerest condolences to her and her family and ask for your prayers on their behalf.

We hope to share more good news with you tomorrow, as we are planning to discharge several more patients and continue to deliver on our promise to serve the poor in Ecuador.