“I had never done medical mission work before, but when I went on my first trip, I was hooked,” says Trudi Grin, M.D. (’81). “I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
It was 2001 in Romania, where Grin performed dozens of life-changing surgeries in just over a week and discovered her passion for helping impoverished children around the world.
Since then, Grin has fed her passion and fulfilled her promise to return to Romania four times and joined other Medical Missions Foundation volunteers on trips to the Philippines, Mexico and Vietnam.
“When you remove the money, insurance and paperwork, all that’s left is pure medicine and surgery,” Grin says. “I was doing what I always envisioned as a physician, what I was trained to do without all the extras.”
Grin, a pediatric ophthalmologist in Overland Park, Kan., finds work in her practice rewarding, but says her life has been enriched by her international experiences.
“When you’re on a trip, you realize that these children may not have the opportunity in a lifetime to get the help you provide,” she says. “I’ve never experienced such desperation – or such gratitude.”
She may not speak the language, but Grin understands the tears falling on a mother’s cheeks when she sees her son for the first time with uncrossed eyes. And she recognizes her gift in the faces of yesterday’s tiny patients lined up waiting for their follow-up exam and the opportunity to thank the American doctor with a hug.
“Sometimes, they’re already crying before I’ve even done anything because they’re so grateful someone is taking care of their child,” Grin says.
And sometimes, Medical Missions Foundation has to turn people away because there just isn’t enough time. “The trips are intense and exhausting, but that’s the hardest part,” Grin says. So volunteer doctors teach
“Now, it’s almost like coming home,” she says. “The world becomes a little bit smaller.”
Grin has been co-president of the Leawood, Kan., non-profit organization for two years. Medical Missions Foundation’s primary commitment is to provide reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for children with birth defects to enhance each child’s opportunity for a better life.
“Sometimes, they’re already crying before I’ve even done anything because they’re so grateful someone is taking care of their child.”
– Trudi Grin
“Through the foundation, I’ve connected with physicians and nurses and artists and others throughout the city, incredibly gifted people who share the philosophy of helping people throughout the world,” Grin says.
Grin also offers her expertise as a member of the UMKC School of Medicine’s E. Grey Dimond Program in International Medicine Advisory Board. She also had previously served the school as a clinical assistant professor for 11 years.
“It’s nice to be involved in the school’s international efforts because it’s my passion,” she says. “I think if students go on these trips and learn to give back at an early age, it will make a stronger impression. They’ll have positive memories and see role models, and they’ll be more likely to go back.”
UMKC students and graduates, including Grin’s husband, alumnus Milton Grin, M.D., (’84) have participated in Medical Missions Foundation trips. For more information on the foundation, visit www.mmfworld.org.
Lindsey V. Corey
Trudi Grin teaches residents in Nha Trang,
Vietnam, during a
2005 Medical Missions Foundation trip.
