The Invisible Work Behind Every Successful Mission

Before Dr. Larry McCahill ever boards a flight to Honduras, months of work have already taken place.

Through relationships OWS has built with local cancer centers, family practice doctors, and communities, patients who need Dr. McCahill’s expertise have already been identified, evaluated, and prepared for care. Women with breast lumps that need answers and patients with thyroid nodules that may require surgery aren’t simply waiting for a visiting surgeon to arrive. The OWS team has been working alongside them well before the mission begins.

For Dr. McCahill, a surgical oncologist who treats breast cancer and thyroid conditions, that preparation has made eight missions over the past decade possible. But the work doesn’t end when the surgeries are complete.

About three weeks after each mission, pathology results provide critical information about what patients may need next. Dr. McCahill reviews those results with the OWS team to determine who may need chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiation, or additional treatment.

Without people and systems dedicated to following patients after their procedures, someone could receive a life-changing operation but lose access to the treatment they still need afterward.

It is a model built around a simple idea: a surgical mission should never begin when a visiting surgeon arrives or ends when that surgeon gets on a plane.

At the same time, this ongoing collaboration creates opportunities for local medical professionals to continue building their knowledge and skills—strengthening care for future patients and expanding local capacity over time.

Dr. McCahill sees that commitment to learning on the visiting side, too. For the past three years, he has brought a resident with him to Honduras. The lesson he most wants to pass along isn’t simply a surgical technique. It’s the importance of service and understanding what access to care can mean for a patient and their family.

“Everyone who’s been there really gets into the spirit of trying to serve the greater good.”

This is what Excellence looks like at One World Surgery. The surgery may be the most visible moment, but lasting care is made possible by everything that happens before and after: the relationships, preparation, follow-up, patient support, and shared learning.

PATIENT STORIES