COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 19 and dirty clothes on their backs was a bittersweet sight. Some members of the health care team even gave their own lunches to the families after observing the town’s scarcity of food. The children’s innocence, mixed with the poverty of the community, reminded everyone of the college’s mission to improve the health of underprivileged populations and to have students become knowledge- able and compassionate medical professionals. Dur- ing the team’s return to Quito for the last clinic, the remaining medical supplies were distributed to those in need. As the volunteers gathered at the airport for the return flight home, many were exhausted from their efforts. Some suffered from common traveling illnesses, while others were understandably homesick. None of that, however, stopped the flurry of stories students shared with one another, the laughter of reminiscing about the past week’s adventures, or the silence of those reflecting on the experience gained from participating in this memorable medical outreach trip. o Felicia F. Ourn is a class of 2022 KPCOM student. Top: Ecuador health care team. Above, left: Class of 2022 student Patrick J. Mansell bandages a girl’s cut finger. Above, right: Class of 2022 student Carmen Estefania Sainz puts her OMT training to good use.