A medical team which included a local orthopedic surgeon and a Chesterton resident, gave new abilities and hope to children in Rivas, Nicaragua recently.

Dr. Michael Leland, of the Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute, headed a team sponsored by the Indiana/Illinois Chapter of Healing the Children in a week-long mission to provide orthopedic and pediatric care to children in need where specialized care is unavailable in rural zones in Nicaragua.

The team included a pediatrician from El Salvador, as well as nurses, a surgical technician, an anesthesiologist and medical students from Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. The team worked together with local surgeons and health professionals to correct foot and leg deformities, teach and advise families, and share techniques that will expand local ability and skills in management of both common and complex orthopedic problems.

Chesterton resident Dennis C. Penning, with a background in public health and a bilingual capacity honed by ten years of working in Colombia, South America, served as interpreter and health educator for both the surgical team and the children and their families.

The team is hoping to return next year to continue their work and follow up on the children they helped during this trip. They are committed to spend the next year searching for donations of new or used crutches, OR/Recovery Room Monitors, fiberglass casting material and other equipment and supplies.

Since Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Americas, it is not always able to supply volunteers with all of the equipment and supplies needed for some medical procedures. Teams are therefore sometimes constrained in the work they are able to do by what they are able to bring with them.

Healing the Children is a national charitable organization of volunteers with 30+ years of experience in helping children, both inside and outside the U.S., with medical care which is either unavailable or unaffordable to them.

Physicians, dentists, nurses, hospitals, laboratories, airline personnel, teachers, translators, social workers, and many other professionals generously give their time and expertise to Healing the Children.

Host families open their hearts and homes to offer HTC children daily care, security and love. For more information, contact www.htc-il.org or 219-983-1736