Two MML members hold a 10-pound ovarian cyst after observing surgery

Sri Lanka 2007

Location: Kandy Teaching Hospital, Kandy, Sri Lanka

"Working in a hospital in a developing country was an incredible experience because it really tested our desire to go into medicine. The conditions we worked in and the situations we were exposed to were very different than what one would experience in a hospital here. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in medicine to go on a medical trip like this because not only will you learn a vast amount medicine, you will also learn a lot about yourself and your own capabilities." - Kanchana Herath, Sri Lanka volunteer

In 2007, members of MML spent a month volunteering in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Volunteers spent time in two hospitals and seven different specialties examining patients, assisting with surgeries, delivering babies and witnessing a plethora of medical procedures. They worked side by side with residents seeing patients with ailments ranging from melanoma to malaria to mitral prolapse. The doctors also taught volunteers how to suture, what their care system was like and their theories on medicine. The conditions and misdistribution of resources were shocking. However the compassion, benevolence, dedication and ingenuity of the physicians were inspirational.