Category: News

Shoulder to Shoulder is a well tuned vehicle for offering both cultural immersion experiences to health care practitioners, as well as an opportunity for service and partnership in health care for the Honduran people. The experience is as profound as it can be challenging – and for me it was a rich and life changing experience. – Martha Arguelles, Montana State University College of Nursing faculty

This was my 14th brigade to Honduras.  It was truly amazing to share this with Trevor.  He was just amazing, effortlessly fitting in with the group – always raising his hand with a question or comment.  He bravely walked off to school everyday with backpack and canteen in hand.  He went to the library afterschool.  He made many friends.  As our bus pulled away to go to Concepcion he was hi fiving his new Santa Lucia friends from the window and yelling “adios, amigos”.  In Concepcion the school was not as friendly.  Instead he went to field clinic with me – helping count meds in the pharmacy, setting up lunch for everyone, leading patients to the pharmacy, and accompanying me on two house calls.  He totally bonded with the Honduran teen interpreters and cried himself to sleep the last night because he would not see them anymore.  He is truly a changed person.  We will also always have this special bond of having done this together.
It was also cool to have Bruce Gephardt and his daughter on the trip.  I have been on many brigades with Bruce.  Our first one in the mid 90’s was when his son had just been born – he was not even thinking about having a second child yet and I had no idea that I would ever be a dad.
Soooo shoulder to shouder this year meant an oppurtunity to show my 7 year old son how many people in the world live and how he can help make the world better for these people.  This will stick with him forever.
Mark