An unusual spring break

  • Published
  • By Frank McIntyre
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Like many spring breakers, Capt. (Dr.) Edward Champoux, 71st Medical Group, headed south for the first week of April. But rather than sandy beaches, lush tropics and fun times, his destination offered dirt floors, no plumbing and busy times.

Together with a pediatric pulmonologist and several nurses from Tulsa, as well as a church group from South Carolina, Doctor Champoux spent April 1 to 7 providing much needed medical care to children in Honduras.

"We were based just outside Tegucigalpa, the country's capital city," the Aurora, Colo., native said. "From there, I worked for three days at the Colonia Nueva Espana and two days at a farm called Lo Juste in the mountains outside the capital.

"Nueva Espana was settled by refugees from Hurricane Mitch, which devasted Honduras in 1998, killing 10,000 people, and it's a very poor area. Most of the people there subsist on less than $1 a day and live in one room houses with dirt floors, no plumbing or electricity," the Vance pediatrician said.

Doctor Champoux said his workload in Honduras was from 30-40 patients a day, many were children with coughs, allergies and diarrhea. The adults suffered from chronic pain issues, such as arthritis, he said, and nearsightedness and farsightedness were very common problems as most people could not afford glasses.

The trip began when the Colorado State University and Albany (N.Y.) Medical College graduate mentioned his interest in going on a medical mission trip to his supervisor, Capt. Melissa Laughrey. She, in turn, passed Doctor Champoux's name along to Dr. Terence Carey, a pediatric pulmonologist in Tulsa, who soon called to ask the five-year Air Force veteran if he was available to go to Honduras.

In addition to volunteering his time, Doctor Champoux had to pay all costs he incurred during the trip. He estimates the week cost him about $1,400 for airfare, lodging, ground transportation and meals.

"I commend Doctor Champoux for volunteering his time and resources to bring medical assistance to people in need," said Col. John McCafferty, 71st Medical Group commander. "It's another example of Team Vance people doing great things."

And it's a great thing the doctor would like to repeat.

"I would definitely go back -- if not to Honduras, then to another part of the world that needed help," he said. "I hope to have the opportunity to serve with an Air Force humanitarian mission someday.

"In addition to helping people in an area that doesn't receive adequate healthcare, I think one of the most valuable lessons I had was learning to work in an austere environment. You come to appreciate just what you have available in the United States."

"Doctor Champoux's experience in Tegucigalpa epitomizes the concept of service before self," said Col. Richard Klumpp Jr., 71st Flying training Wing commander. "In his case, he is serving his fellow man and making a difference in the lives of those who, by an accident of birth, do not enjoy the same advantages we do here in America. I am proud of Doctor Champoux for leading the way even when he is thousands of miles from home."