Across Boundaries: Kent State Interpreters Help With a Life-saving Mission to Nicaragua

Kent State's Peg Haas (left), an instructor in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies, alumna Maribel Sanchez, ’03, and graduate student Liz Schreiner traveled as Spanish-language interpreters to Bluefields, Nicaragua, with a team from Radiology Mammography International. The team provided donated medical equipment, including a mammography machine and an ultrasound machine and training on the machines. Photo courtesy of Peg Haas

In late October, a group of American volunteers led by Dr. Richard Hirsh from Radiology Mammography International (RMI) provided new, donated medical equipment from Hologic, including a mammography machine and an ultrasound machine, to the sole Ministry of Health hospital in Bluefields.

RMI is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the mammography and breast cancer education needs of developing and underserved regions around the world. The team consisted of mammography x-ray technologists, radiologists, a surgeon, an engineer and three Spanish-speaking interpreters, including Kent State’s Peg Haas, an instructor in the modern and classical language studies department, alumna Maribel Sanchez, ’03, and graduate student Liz Schreiner.

“There was no mammography there at all,” says Haas, who had a personal interest in the trip; her mother died of breast cancer. “All they had were hands-on breast exams to detect breast cancer.”

Located in the southern, Atlantic region of Nicaragua, the lone hospital in the area serves a population of approximately 200,000, of which indigenous peoples comprise 90 percent. When a mammography was necessary, a woman had to travel across forests and mountains to the Pacific Coast. For most, it was too expensive to fly. The only other option was a two-hour boat ride followed by a seven-hour bus ride to Managua.

With the new medical equipment, women in the Atlantic Coast region of Nicaragua now are able regularly to receive a mammogram, an important test in breast cancer detection. They also can receive basic ultrasound evaluations of the abdomen and obstetrics and gynecology.

An equally crucial part of the American team’s mission was teaching the Nicaraguan hospital staff how to use the machines properly. The group provided extensive training in all aspects of mammography, including quality assurance, film processor maintenance, breast positioning, needle-localization procedure and film interpretation. The Nicaraguans practiced their new skills on the hospital staff and hospital community.

Dr. Richard Hirsh, founder of Radiology Mammography International (RMI), reads a mammogram with a Nicaraguan doctor. Photo courtesy of Nick Bisconti.

“It was really important for them, and they were eager to learn and do it right,” says Haas, who along with Sanchez and Schreiner played an invaluable role in the training. “Our interpreters allowed the Nicaraguans to learn from the Americans, and we allowed Americans to share their knowledge with Nicaraguans,” says Haas. It wasn’t easy either.

The interpreters had to learn the Spanish equivalents for every part of the mammography and ultrasound gear.

The team faced another challenge during the trip — a much more dangerous one. During their visit, Hurricane Beta threatened just off the coast of Nicaragua, a hundred miles east of Bluefields. The group prepared to evacuate, but, fortunately, the storm moved north and the team was able to continue their work.

Despite the difficulties, the group’s trip ended on a high note. On their last evening, they attended a farewell dinner hosted by Nicaragua’s First Lady, Lila Bolanos, and the Minister of Health, Margarita Gurdian.

“Both expressed their sincere gratitude for the donation of the equipment and to our volunteer-teaching team for truly making a difference in the lives of the women of this region,” says Haas.