Roaya Braqa
College of Health Sciences, Glendale Cardiovascular Perfusion Class of 2019.
Putting Her Heart into Surgery Missions Trips: Perfusion Graduate Helps International Children Thrive.
I've been part of mission trips since my student days and chose to pursue medicine specifically to engage in opportunities that allow me to volunteer for missions worldwide. I've participated in four different missions, working alongside surgeons who travel a few times a year to operate on children born with congenital defects. I've had the privilege of accompanying Dr. Mark Turrentine, a pediatric cardiac surgeon, on several of these mission trips, including February 2020, December 2022, and September 2023. Each trip typically spans seven days, with five working days and two travel days. Dr. Turrentine, who has dedicated over 20 years to working with Gift of Life-Jordan, a non-profit organization focused on aiding refugee children from the Middle East, leads a comprehensive cardiovascular team during these missions, comprising OR nurses, perfusionists, cardiologists, and physician assistants.
The team's objective is to perform two to three open-heart surgeries per day, with a commitment to providing care to children from different ethnicities such as Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese. Their ages can range anywhere from new-born babies through 18 years old.
It's heartening to observe that the families of these children express their gratitude through tangible gestures, often presenting sentimental gifts to the entire team. These acts serve as a touching reminder of the families' appreciation for the opportunity to access medical care and the hope it brings for their children's future. My favorite aspect of the trips is when we revisit and see kids from previous missions returning to say hello. Witnessing these children thrive and the profound impact the surgeries have on their lives is truly rewarding.
About Roaya Braqa, M.M.S.
Roaya Braqa, M.M.S., is a 2017 Glendale CHS alumna from the Cardiovascular Perfusion Program. She is currently living her dream job as an Adult Clinical Perfusionist and Pediatric Perfusionist at Indiana University (IU) Hospital in Indianapolis and loves traveling the world as often as she can on medical surgical missions.