The 15th annual CSI mission to Hermosillo, Mexico got off to a rollicking start at 7 a.m. Saturday. We screened 108 children who came from all over the state of Sonora to see our surgeons. 

We are especially excited to be here for our Quincinera! We are celebrating the 15th anniversary of a unique collaboration between CSI, CIMA Hospital in Hermosillo, and St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic, based in Nogales, Arizona. Working hand in hand with our wonderful partners, we have been able to provide top-notch surgical and ongoing care for more than 700 children!

For me, one of the best parts about our unique partnership with CIMA and St. Andrew’s is that we are able to follow children as they grow and need subsequent surgeries, speech therapy and more. I love to see kids come back who I met five or six years ago when they were tiny, knowing that now they are growing and thriving because they have been able to receive life-changing care from CSI.

Marco is a perfect example. I met Marco on my first CSI trip to Mexico in 2013 when he received his first surgery for a cleft palate. He was an active happy toddler, and now in 2019, he came back to us a handsome and outgoing eight-year old. He will undergo speech surgery on Tuesday, which will allow him to be more easily understood. I’m so grateful for this collaborative relationship with CIMA and St. Andrews which allows us to provide this extended care for Marco and hundreds more. 

Melanie McCall ~ CSI Volunteer

Click here to see more photos from Mexico.