Inspired By The Work

Last year, Dr. Imelda Tjia took part in her first CHRISTUS Operation San José trip. The program returned to Chihuahua, Mexico after being on hiatus due to COVID with 19 team members including Tjia.

An Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine, Tjia learned about the program from fellow anesthesiologist Dr. Linda Magill, who had served on the Operation San José team for many years.

“She told me about their wonderful work with great enthusiasm and passion,” said Tjia. “When she invited me to be a part of the team, I happily jumped at the opportunity to take part in helping in the special work.”

One story especially stood out to her. A child and his mother traveled a long distance for many hours to access the surgery. They did not speak Spanish, but one of the indigenous languages. The hospital needed to provide a special translator to facilitate communication between the mother and the care providers.

“Despite facing various challenges, this brave mother placed so much trust in the team to obtain care for her child,” said Tjia. “I believe that the courage the mother displayed really helped to allay her child’s anxiety.  As we walked with our young patient to the operating room, he remained so calm and very cooperative.”

Tjia was inspired by the amazing mission team. “The true sense of teamwork and collaboration can be appreciated everyday with every patient. I am looking forward to going on future Operation San Jose trips.”