Lake Park alum seeks volunteers to help medical brigade

Roselle native Olivia Maslon was confident her choice to study medicine and Spanish following her graduation from Lake Park High School was the right one.

And after returning from Honduras last August, she was certain.

Maslon, now a third-year student at Loyola University Chicago, traveled to the Central American country for one week as part of a team of about 40 pre-med students who form Loyola's sector of Global Medical Brigade.

The not-for-profit group allows student volunteers and doctors to help communities in developing countries with services that improve quality of life and the environment while respecting local culture.

Maslon is preparing for a second trip this August. She and her fellow brigade members hope pre-med students from colleges around the area, as well as local doctors and donors, will help their sector's work grow.

"I always wanted to help abroad and this was the perfect opportunity," she said. "I got to work with amazing doctors who had to McGyver their way through things because we didn't have those supplies (comparable to a U.S. hospital)."

Serving primarily as a translator for the physicians during her time in Honduras, Maslon met one patient who taught her a lesson in bedside manner - and affirmed her career path.

The 11-year-old girl arrived at the clinic where Maslon was assisting a Mayo Clinic doctor. The patient was complaining of headaches, dizziness and stomach pain.

The shy girl did not want the male doctor to examine her, so to put her at ease, Maslon took the girl aside and used her Spanish skills to discuss her symptoms. Ultimately, Maslon said, the child felt comfortable enough to let Maslon examine her and both she and the doctor agreed her physical symptoms stemmed from emotional stress.

"Not everything is rooted in disability and disease and a lot of the people there don't have someone to talk to about these issues" Maslon said. "She kind of opened up to me and that was a good thing."

As Maslon, her fellow students, and a handful of area doctors prepare for their August trip, they hope local medical companies will donate supplies or funds and area students and professionals will join their cause.

"My trip was just a complete eye-opener," she said. "Everyone should do something like this because they need to see how lucky we are."

For details on Global Medical Brigade, visit globalbrigades.org. For details on Loyola's sector, e-mail Olivia Maslon at omaslon@luc.edu.