Service to others is central to the St. Andrew’s experience, for both students and employees. Director of Health Services Annette Rickolt ’87 P’14,’16 has been serving and caring for students, employees, and families on campus since she took over leadership of the school’s Health Center in 2016—but last week, she got to leave campus, and the country, to serve children abroad.

Rickolt spent the second week of the school year on a medical mission trip in Ecuador; she was a member of a team that provided important surgical procedures for 38 children in that country. Some of the children, who ranged in age from 4 months to 17 years, had been waiting for more than two years for life-changing surgery to repair urological and gastrointestinal ailments.

Rickolt learned about the trip, organized by Healing the Children New Jersey, through her stepmother-in-law and fellow nurse JoAnn Epstein. Both Rickolt and JoAnn have worked in pediatric and adult nursing units; this was JoAnn’s seventh trip to Ecuador with Healing the Children JoAnn is also a recovery unit nurse like Rickolt. This trip was the first surgical mission undertaken by Healing the Children since the pandemic began.  

“When I learned of their need for another nurse, I knew I could help,” says Rickolt.“I’ve always wanted to do a medical mission like this.” Both her team of nurses at St. Andrew’s and the school’s leadership supported her efforts to make the trip. 

Joining her on the trip were seven physicians—three surgeons, one resident, one pediatrician, and two anesthesiologists. Supporting the surgical team were four surgical techs, four circulating room nurses, four PACU (or recovery) nurses, three certified-registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), two translators, and a small media team from Saint Peter’s University in New Jersey who are filming a documentary.

“It was inspiring to watch this dedicated surgical team work even in sometimes difficult situations. And, it was incredible to see how happy and grateful the kids and families were,” Rickolt says. “There were many times that we were choked up because of the stories and the gratitude.”

Procedures completed during the trip included surgery to repair bladder exstrophy, a congenital defect where the bladder protrudes through the abdominal wall; surgery to construct a bladder; and surgery to correct urological defects and amend birth defects.

“The dedication of the team is just incredible,” says Rickolt. “There were a lot of long operations, complex cases, and the facilities were not like those you would see in the United States—parts of the clinic were outdoors and many people waited days, sleeping outside, until it was time for surgery.”

In the end, the team cared for 54 children, completing 38 surgical procedures on young patients, the oldest being 17. There were many children who needed procedures who did not get them during the team’s time there, simply because the surgeons needed to triage the cases based on complexity, time available, and urgency.

The clinic where the surgeries were performed has not had a medical team fly in to help with complex surgeries in more than two years due to the pandemic. The Healing the Children medical teams must bring their own equipment and supplies to the clinic, and pay for their own airfare and transportation. For this trip, there were more than 30 suitcases taken to Ecuador—full of electronic monitors, medical supplies, and instruments.

Prior to setting off, Rickolt reached out to faculty and staff for donations of small stuffed animals, toys, coloring books and crayons, baseball caps, and other gifts for the children awaiting surgery in Ecuador. 

Rickolt’s takeaways from the trip are twofold: the importance of being calm under pressure—something she no doubt has also learned during her time as a lead school nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic—and how important learning it is to learn a second language. While on the trip, Rickolt, who only knows a few words of Spanish, accidentally started speaking French. Even with the language barrier, the families appreciated her efforts. 

“Going on trips like this really makes you realize how lucky we are here to have advanced healthcare facilities,” Rickolt says. “It makes you want to learn more and to do more.There’s always something you can do for someone. You don’t need to be a surgeon to make a positive change. Simple kindness is enough.”

Learn more about Healing the Children New Jersey here.