Starting in 1999, members of the Order of Malta were making surgical missions to Haiti until sadly, they could no longer do so due to the danger it posed to our personnel. However, through an introduction by Suzy Moran, DMOb to the Sovereign Order of Malta in Guatemala, we were happily able to renew these surgical missions in Guatemala.

Our first mission in November 2024 was a success with 51 surgical procedures being performed, many by Dr. Stephen Fletcher, KM and member of the American Association’s Board of Directors. With the assistance of Suzy Moran, we were able to sit down and plan with the staff of the hospital to return next year in October with a team that will probably be twice the size of the one we took in 2024.

We are grateful for the opportunity to resume these missions, and our colleagues are equally as eager to continue them in the future. This represents a great opportunity to show such acts of mercy to the poor and the sick, which is not only the mission of the Order, but also the underlying mission of any Physician and Surgeon. While in Guatemala, Dr. Fletcher and Suzy Moran attended the seventh-grade graduation from Cambiando Vidas School, which the late Brian Moran, KM was instrumental in building.