Dunes Daughter Focuses on Medical Care During Mission Trip to Peru

For a few select Peruvians, this will become a reality in the next few weeks with the help of Molly Boyle, who is completing her first year of medical school at Creighton University in Omaha.

Boyle, the daughter of Tim and Debbie Boyle of Dakota Dunes will be traveling to Peru on May 13 for a month long mission trip created by the university's medical school.

Project CURA (Creighton Medical United and Relief Assistance) will be sending two groups to Peru at the end of this week. Boyle's group of 7 will fly into Lima and travel to the towns of Kallao, Cuzco, Lancones and round out the trip with a 4 day hike along the Salkantay Trek, one of the Inca trails, located northwest of Cuzco. The group will spend approximately one week in each city.

After making contacts in Peru, the group asked about the greatest needs of the area. The students decided they wanted to help alleviate and "recognize inadequacies in medical care globally," according to Boyle.

Boyle is in charge of presenting information on personal hygiene, such as the importance of dental health maintenance and infant care for mothers.

"It will be interesting to see how they view it since we're not coming from the same background," Boyle commented. As she prepares the presentations, Boyle is trying to remember to think from their perspective, since many of the concepts will be new to them.

"It's a lot of education and general health screenings," Boyle noted. There are also some plans for a few building projects, but they have not yet been confirmed.

In each city on the itinerary, Project CURA will make a monetary and supply donation. The medical students at Creighton have called upon their own resources for donations of basic hygiene supplies including sample tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes.

But, there will be one uncommon gift that Boyle plans to present to the children in Peru. Her boyfriend, who plays soccer for the Kansas City Wizards, has been collecting used soccer cleats as a gift for the children.

"I am so excited to see their faces," Boyle commented. Since soccer is a popular sport in Peru, Boyle thinks the children will find them fun, and useful.

Boyle is excited about her opportunity to meet with the people of Peru, and hopefully help determine her medical path. She says the best advice she has received from doctors is not to focus on a specific type of medicine, surgery or area of the body, but to decide what population of people you enjoy working with wether it be infants, children, adults, seniors citizens or families.

During her time in Peru, Boyle will have the opportunity to interact with people of all ages and field a variety of medical concerns. She will also have a chance to brush up on her Spanish.

During the month long journey, Boyle plans to document her travels in writing and photographs.

"I am going to journal. That will help to get it all down and feel like I told someone," Boyle commented.

Since internet and phone usage will be extremely limited, journaling will not only help document her journey, but also help her present her trip to her family and friends when she returns.

Although Boyle says her family is excited for her opportunity to do mission work in Peru, she noted, "I think they'll be excited to have me back and hear about it."

The mission of Project CURA is to help under-served populations and minorities, according to Boyle. The group started by helping people in Pine Ridge and other local areas in Nebraska.

***This article was originally published in the North Sioux City / Dakota Dunes Times by Sedgwick Publishing.***