Volunteers Provide HOPE, Before and After Surgery

The Project HOPE volunteers are working hard to help the people of Indonesia, and this fact can be easily observed in the key stages of surgery. Project HOPE’s youngest and brightest talents lie in pre-and-post surgery care.  

HOPE volunteer Molly Torvik, a Registered Nurse from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, helps prepare patients for surgery aboard the USNS Mercy. 

“I have enjoyed meeting new people, watching the surgeries and the transformation of the patients,” says Torvik. “It is interesting in seeing the big picture of Pacific Partnership, and seeing the helped deliver to these small communities.” 

At the other end of surgery, the patients waking up often see the smiling face of Project HOPE volunteer Cortney Marsh, a Registered Nurse from San Diego, California working in the Post-anesthesia care unit.  

“I find my job incredibly rewarding, it is wonderful to see the patient right after they come out of a surgery that help change their life,” says Marsh. “Just to see the smiles on the families’ faces when they get to see their loved ones again is truly a heartwarming experience.”  

“I think the staff and volunteers aboard the Mercy are doing a great job, and it is impressive to see the amount of teamwork that goes in to bringing the best care,” she adds.  

“One of the interesting cases that I was able to help on was one of a ten-year-old Indonesian boy that was given a fresh start after a complete cleft pallet and lip repair,” says Marsh. “Seeing the tears in the mother’s eyes, knowing that her son will finally be able to go to school, and just be a normal child is something I could hold on to forever.”