Medical Missions
High in the Andes, a baby breastfeeds, because her cleft palate was repaired. A little boy with club feet once again walks to school. A farmer tends his fields, now that his leg ulcer has healed.
These are just a few of the thousands of lives touched by the Osorio Foundation’s medical missions.
Dr. Raul Osorio, who was born in a humble pueblo in the Andes, began these “missions of mercy” over 40 years ago with a just handful of eager and caring volunteers. This endeavor has blossomed to include a team of over 60 volunteers who journey to provide healthcare to remote, underserved communities. Today, his sons and daughters continue this tradition of service.
Dr. Ken Osorio volunteers locally at St. Vincent de Paul Clinic and leads teams internationally to Peru and Mexico. Treating leg ulcers is a major focus of his missions. Individuals can suffer from these chronic wounds for years - they can weep, become infected and cause ongoing disability. This is unfortunate, as most ulcers are completely curable with modern treatments. During our missions, the wounds begin to heal, patients return to gainful employment and are once again able to enjoy activities with their families.
Patients journey great distances on foot or by mule to reach our charity clinics. Lines of patients develop, as even major surgeries are done at no charge, and the impoverished natives realize this may be their only chance of receiving modern healthcare.
To treat leg ulcers, blood clots and advanced circulatory diseases, we bring our own ultrasounds, lasers, and surgical supplies to perform these delicate operations. Our volunteers pay their own travel costs. We fund the expense of essential medical personnel and supplies that are not donated. We are committed to providing these life-altering operations. But we need your help to do it!
Our charity clinics cannot operate without sufficient supplies and medicines. Your financial gift makes these missions possible. Donations of compression stockings and medical supplies are also appreciated. Your gift transforms lives by allowing our less fortunate brethren to return to more productive, full lives.
Our volunteers make a world of difference!
We have been blessed to be accompanied by vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, nurses, and vascular sonographers, who volunteer their time and expertise, to help the less fortunate. Although these trips are challenging, nothing compares to knowing that you have changed someone’s life. It is so rewarding to see patients out walking, pain-free, sometimes for the first time in years.
If you would like to get back to the heart of medicine - consider joining us. Many of our volunteers enjoy the experience so much they return year after year! If you are a physician, nurse, vascular sonographer, or medical assistant willing to help, please get in touch with us.
“In 2018, I joined the Osorio Foundation on a mission to Caraz, Peru, a small town nestled in the magnificent Andes mountains. I graduated from Harvard Medical School and spent years working in operating rooms as a surgeon, but nothing quite compares to doing a mission and changing someone’s life. Our team of volunteers was warm, talented, and enthusiastic. Although working in a remote setting is difficult, knowing we were helping those in need motivated us - we were working for something greater than ourselves. The patients were so grateful for our efforts. My hope is that the Osorio Foundation will continue to positively touch lives around the world.”
Wayne Gradman, M.D., Vascular Surgeon.
All your donations, go toward medical supplies and equipment that are utilized on our missions. Unlike large organizations, there is no administrative cost to our missions - we are 100% volunteer-run and pay our own travel and housing expenses associated with these missions. Your donations go straight to those in need.
The Osorio Foundation touches the lives of the less fortunate. In the impoverished “pueblos” we serve, our visits may be the one chance for this community to receive up-to-date, specialty care.
But we could not do these missions without your support. At the heart of our missions, are people like YOU who are willing to get involved by donating or volunteering. Your generosity touches the lives of families in underserved countries and provides the medical care they so desperately need. Thank you for your support and God bless!
See www.TheOsorioFoundation.org for more information or call 480-844-VEIN (8346), to join our team of volunteers