01/07/2026
By Juan Nogues, MD – ENT Resident Mount Sinai
This past October, a passionate team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, speech pathologists, and volunteers reunited in Santa Marta, Colombia, to bring hope to a group of kids who otherwise would be unable to receive the medical care they so desperately need.
The surgical team, led by Dr. Sean Alemi, included Drs. Lianne DeSerres, Mitchell Hagen, Mingyang Gray, and surgical residents Juan Nogues and Maria Mavrommatis. Over the course of the week, we operated on 47 children and young adults. Some of these patients have been seeing us since infancy and have received multiple surgeries over the years.
Throughout the week, moments of gratitude and inspiration were abundant, as patients and their families shared stories of overcoming the challenges of facial deformities, including social isolation and bullying. Some families traveled for days from remote places in the Amazonian jungle to see our team. Thanks to the help of the local UNIMA organization, the children received surgical care, housing, nutritional support, and comprehensive post-operative care during their recovery.
UNIMA is a local organization of dedicated mothers and grandmothers whose efforts provide essential support to our patients. Healing The Children NE works year-round with organizations like these to make missions like this possible.
It is one of the greatest privileges of our lives to be able to be of service to these families. The mission is further made special by the bonds we form with our team members throughout the years. It is rare to meet and work alongside such beautiful people who take time from their busy lives, families, and careers to come together for a common goal, to give back and to heal those who would otherwise get left behind.
For more information about similar missions or to support future endeavors, visit https://htcne.org.
