Five Mary Free Bed team members recently returned from Guatemala, where they helped build prostheses for patients through the Range of Motion Project (ROMP). The nonprofit organization works to improve mobility and independence for people in underserved communities around the world. The team included CPO Ben Hogan, two prosthetic technicians, Arthur Pruiett and Alex Basford, physical therapist Lauren Jones and Mary Free Bed Guild member Carol Springer.
In the U.S., the process of receiving a prosthetic can take several weeks, but in Guatemala, patients can wait years. Guatemala has a waitlist of over 1,000 people in need of prosthetic services. During the nine-day trip from October 10-19, the Mary Free Bed team fit 25 patients with 30 prostheses and provided therapy and training to help them regain mobility.
“It’s not a parachute program, where we just come in, send legs out and disappear,” Lauren said. “They have that aftercare, therapy, follow-ups and support that make these prostheses last.”
This year was Lauren’s third trip with ROMP.” Care is different where you go, but there’s still that underlying base tone of that connection,” she said. “We learn just as much coming here as we provide for them.”
Ben called the trip “enlightening and challenging,” saying, “You have to be more creative, and you have to be more hands-on here just because you have to work with what you have. We go through the process with them of crafting the leg in a way we’re not used to.”
The Mary Free Bed team worked diligently to deliver high-quality care in just a few days — a meaningful contribution toward our mission of restoring hope and freedom around the globe.
- Media Coverage: WZZM 13, ABC 12 Flint, MLive
