Our Stories

"I remember the rain that day. The day when my daughter's fever wouldn't stop."

Celeni was five when we found out she had sickle cell anemia. She had 25 emergency blood transfusions and then developed a very serious infection. This damaged the bones in her hips. I fought for my daughter to get the medical care she needs. I spent all the money I had to pay for her first surgery which was very far from home. It is only me and my mother caring for my two daughters and I lost my job because of traveling to see Celeni in the hospital.

My dream is to give Celeni the life of a normal kid. I want her to be able to walk to school and play with her friends at recess.

One World Surgery (OWS) will make our dream come true. When the surgery center opens, she will have free surgery on her other hip. I ask you to help other families like mine in the Dominican Republic and make more dreams come true.

Thank you from me and my family,

Johanny

Origin Story: Ramon Santiago de la Cruz

I started working in the sugar cane fields at age 12. I rose from field work to driving tractors pulling wagons of harvested cane. When I was 17, a wagon dragged me 50 meters after which my leg had to be amputated. Then I moved from working with my hands to being a liaison between public health providers and cane workers living in the Batey. As the mayor of my Batey, my neighbors trust me to find them medical care and other resources to improve their lives. 

Dominicans want to earn a living wage doing work that isn’t dangerous. For those who cannot, OWS and I are helping them heal. When I was young, I was the sugar cane boss’s assistant, soon I will be an OWS radiology technician. Not many people can say they love their work. In that way, I would say I won the lottery.

News

Thank You to Our Utah Supporters

Through the remarkable generosity of our amazing sponsors, donors, and committee in Utah, we raised nearly $170,000 to support our mission!

Thank you to our speakers Dr. Hugh West, Julia West, Dr. Bill Gowski, Carolina Casanova, and Dr. Jhomairy Miller for sharing their impactful stories.

Celebrating Collaboration with Optum

During an inspiring workshop last month, OWS leaders had the opportunity to present in front of 1,000 partners at Optum, and design upcoming education initiatives in primary care with Optum leaders for Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

We were blown away by the generosity and dedication of the hundreds of volunteers who joined us to pack a staggering 5,000 hygiene kits for patients in the Dominican Republic. A huge shoutout to Optum for donating not just the supplies but also their time. These kits will make a real difference in the lives of those in need.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, August 24, 2023 | 5:30 PM

Join us for appetizers, drinks, and fun in Colorado to benefit OWS and learn more about the life-changing surgical and primary care we provide globally.