SRW Makes It
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Jennifer Tenders Loving Care
May 2025
Some might say that physical therapy happens "behind the scenes," yet it's a vital part of the team effort provided by SRW's orthopedic missions. Every team includes a physical therapy professional who is experienced in working with children. For the last several years, Jennifer Penston has accompanied every lower extremity orthopedic team, bringing her experience and essential assistance for both
surgical and non-surgical patients.
Jennifer's first step is to spend time with each child and their parents, to evaluate the child's
needs. Following surgical procedures, Jennifer is there to help children learn to navigate in their casts, and to instruct parents how to care for their child with additional apparatus. She may offer instruction on helpful exercises to be done at home, and also provide medical devices such as walkers, wheelchairs, braces, and other aids that maximize each child's abilities going forward. This kind of support, which is not normally available in Honduras, is a very important part of our treatment plan for each child, and we could not provide the same high level of care without Jennifer.
In January of 2025, Jennifer saw 38 patients whose surgery was provided by our team, and assisted families in their post-operative care. She also consulted on 42 nonoperative children we saw in our screening clinic. All of this in only six days! We are grateful for Jennifer's quality care that enhances the future outlook for the children and families we serve in Honduras. Thank you, Jennifer!
Changing Lives
May 2025
I am writing to share the profound and inspiring experience I had as part of the physical therapy team during our mission trip to Honduras with Sharing Resources Worldwide. The team of professionals we worked with was nothing short of remarkable, and together we made a significant impact in the lives of children and families in need.
Our primary role as physical therapists, following the surgical team who preceded our trip, was to assist in the removal and replacement of casts for children requiring braces, working closely with the orthotist. This process was essential in ensuring that the children were properly fitted for their braces, which would enable them to walk. In addition, we provided education to parents on proper cast care, monitored the children's skin for any potential issues, and offered essential training to both parents and children on how to walk with their new casts.
The children we worked with had diverse needs — some had never walked before, while others had given up due to the physical difficulty of walking with their condition. Regardless of the challenges they faced, it was truly heartwarming to see the change in them as they experienced the joy of movement. The collaborative efforts of the entire team — physicians, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, interpreters, nurses, orthotists, and the families — created an environment where dreams were made possible.
Witnessing the parents' hopes and the children's determination was a moving experience. It was an honor to be part of a team that brought not only medical expertise but also compassion and hope to these families. The joy we saw in the children's faces as they stood and walked for the first time is something we will carry with us forever.
This mission was an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children who needed us, and we are so grateful for the chance to have contributed to this life-changing work and to be a part of this incredible journey for the families and the children.
Elizabeth A. Cross, Physical Therapist
Returning to Siguatepeque
May 2024
The second week of November 2023, a small advance team returned to the Providence site in Siguatepeque, Honduras, to prepare SRW's space and equipment for future missions. After a four-year absence, memories flooded back from our first mission to the same site in 2007. Our biomedical professionals tested and assessed equipment needing repair or replacement, uncrated new equipment, and put it into working
order. Other team members stocked storage bins with supplies recently shipped to the location. By the time the team left, the site was ready for
the first mission of a new era, scheduled for later the same month.
The Providence staff was welcoming and helpful. It was wonderful to be back and to know that we can continue serving the children of Honduras with orthopedic and eye health needs. Thank you to all our supporters, and to Horizon for the
invitation to return.
Team members were:
Gary Haefer, Biomed
Jason Ryder, Biomed
Marge Abegglen, RN
Pat Kreibich, RN
Mary Dowling, RN
Hugo Romero, Coordinator
We Are Back
by Kristan Sodergren
May 2024
We are back! It was with great anticipation and excitement that we were able to return to Honduras and
our family in Siguatepeque. For me, this mission is a reminder of why I practice nursing and medicine; it is the purist form of the job. Our time away, and the opportunity to come back, reminded me to not take our time in Honduras for granted.
Travel in January presented itself with the typical set of winter challenges. The team showed resilience, flexibility, and perseverance. In the interval years, our setup at Providencia has changed, and our equipment has changed. What did this mean for the mission?
We had an awesome, small-but-mighty crew who started seeing kids and setting them up for surgery. As the remainder of the team trickled in, we were able to set up operating rooms and get ready for cases to start late midday on Tuesday in one of the two operating rooms....
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