Missions Connection Center

Shalom Foundation and Hispanic Ministry Partner to Give Hope to Guatemalan Toddler

Early in the summer of 2006, a baby girl was born to a poor family near Guatemala City. Like thousands of other children in her community, she had little access to nourishing food or the other necessities of life.

But Joseline Vasquez Santay had another problem as well. Even before she was born, a lymphatic malformation on the side of her neck was growing almost as fast as she was.

When Joseline was six months old, her mother, Veronica, learned about a group of doctors who were visiting from the U.S. Somehow, she managed to take her daughter to see them.

Nothing happened on that first visit, but a year later when the same doctors examined Joseline again they found the tumor was still growing. It wasn’t cancerous, but they realized it could be life threatening. The tumor put pressure on her esophagus and windpipe and constricted her critical blood vessels and vocal cords.

But all hope wasn’t lost. God had already begun to make a way for Joseline to be healed.

This medical team represented a joint partnership between The Shalom Foundation and the Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The team had come to Guatemala to perform routine surgeries on children with head, neck, and facial abnormalities. However, their makeshift operating room wasn’t able to support the difficult surgery that Joseline required.

Just six months later, accompanied by Maria Jose Arenales, director of Shalom’s work in Guatemala who served as an interpreter, the mother-daughter duo were on an airplane headed to Nashville. By this time, the tumor was almost as large as her head and breathing had become difficult.

When they arrived, they found another familiar face, Dr. Steven Goudy, the otolaryngologist who first examined Joseline nearly two years earlier. After extensive testing, Dr.
Goudy determined he could remove a significant portion of the tumor.

On July 8, 2008, Dr. Goudy and his assistants began their work.

Because the growth contained a multitude of smaller “balloons” of fluid that had to each be removed, the operation grew into a marathon of nearly 15 hours. Shortly before
midnight, they were finished—and Joseline began to look “normal” for the first time in her life.

For the next two and a half months, Veronica and Joseline stayed in Tennessee. The doctors wanted to monitor her recovery, and Joseline required physical therapy, as she had
never been able to hold her head straight before.

During this process, Joseline and her mother lived in Franklin with Ercilia and Julio Pena, members of Iglesia de las Americas, the Hispanic sister church of Brentwood Baptist. The Pena family was experiencing financial difficulties, but they opened their home and hearts to this mother and child, willingly sharing their food.

“When they first arrived at our church,” Pastor Luis Sura said, “we didn’t really know how to help. But the Sunday before the surgery we gathered around Joseline to pray for
her. Most of our members had tears in their eyes, but Veronica’s eyes were dry. When we asked her later why she was not crying, she said she knew her baby was in God’s hands, not just the doctors’.”

Joseline and her mother finally left for Guatemala on September 27, along with Dr. Goudy and the team, who were headed there on their third surgical mission trip.

Dr. Goudy said, “Having Joseline come to Vanderbilt was a great experience. Everyone worked very hard to bring it all together, and I believe this has created a really special link between our two communities. Her family is truly thankful for all the people in Nashville who have helped them so much.”

The Shalom Foundation, Children’s Hospital, and many others who took part in Joseline’s success are very pleased with what was accomplished. They are all now looking ahead to determine how they can better serve other children with abnormalities in Guatemala, many of whom have needs as severe as Joseline’s.

More than half the population of Guatemala is under the age of 18, and nearly two thirds of the residents of Guatemala City lack access to any healthcare services. Many of them die from very treatable problems such as diarrhea, pneumonia, malnutrition, and tuberculosis.

Currently, plans are underway to renovate a recently purchased Guatemala City hospital, furnishing it with state-of-the-art surgical equipment. This will allow teams from Vanderbilt and other medical institutions to visit the area on a more consistent basis, thereby expanding their service to these impoverished communities.

Steve Moore, founder and chairman of Shalom and a member of Brentwood Baptist, said, “Purchasing, remodeling, and equipping the Shalom Surgery Center is the most ambitious effort undertaken by The Shalom Foundation. I have faith that God will provide the resources we need to complete this important project. Through the generosity of our service partners and our faithful donors, we can help heal hundreds of children like Joseline each year.”