Earthquake Victim Receives Medical Care at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital

Dolman Morales, 8 years old, is preparing to return home to Guatemala this week after life-changing surgery provided through the generosity of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and local non-profit organization, The Shalom Foundation.

In July 2014, a strong earthquake hit San Marcos. Dolman and his family were at home when the earthquake crushed their house. The home was destroyed and a wall collapsed on Dolman and his mother causing pelvic fractures in both and a traumatic lesion in Dolman’s abdomen.

Dolman and his mother were transported to the National Hospital where Dolman received basic surgical care, but the doctors in Guatemala were unable to repair his severe injuries. Options for Dolman were few and his prognosis grim.

The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital Pediatric Urology Surgical Team treated Dolman during a Vanderbilt sponsored mission trip to the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala City this past February. However, the surgical procedure Dolman required was too delicate to be performed at the center and the specialized equipment needed for surgery was unavailable. Surgical team leaders Dr. John Brock and Dr. Douglas Clayton presented a plan for charitable care to be undertaken at Vanderbilt’s Children’s Hospital.

Through oversight from The Shalom Foundation, Dolman and his father, Eleuseo Morales arrived in Nashville September 10, 2015. Host family Bill and Kaki Friskics-Warren provided housing for Dolman and his father for the five week duration of their visit and the family was assisted as well by Claudia Bertuca and Mirtha Garcia.

After pre-operative evaluation, Dolman received his life-changing surgery on September 23. The complex surgery was deemed a complete success with a prognosis for full recovery from his fractures.

The Shalom Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance to children and their families living in extreme poverty.

The Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala City provides medical services and surgical procedures to over 3,500 children who, without Shalom Foundation intervention, would go untreated to face life-long suffering or death.

For additional information about The Shalom Foundation and The Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala City, please visit The Shalom Foundation  or contact through [email protected].