Dr. Michael Mallahan, an audiologist from Mill Creek, has been traveling to Guatemala every year since 2003. He leads medical and Ear, Nose & Throat surgical teams serving children with little or no access to medical care in the rural areas of Guatemala.  

Last year, during a week of surgeries in Morales, Izabal, Michael was asked by a local physical therapist if his group could assist with the purchase of a wheelchair for a young child with cerebral palsy. He told her that he would consult with his local Rotary Club when he returned home. Michael recruited fellow Mill Creek Rotary members, Sid Siegel and Jeff Brennan, to investigate a project that their club could support that would make a difference. Sid took the lead on the project by visiting a wheelchair factory in Antigua, Guatemala, that makes custom wheelchairs for children. The amazing thing about this factory is that many of the team members building the chairs are in wheelchairs themselves. After his visit, Sid returned to Mill Creek Rotary’s International Service Committee members and presented a proposal to fund $30,000 towards the project. 

This past November, Mill Creek Rotary Club members returned to Guatemala and traveled to the east coast, to Morales, with the wheelchair organization, Transiciones Guatemala. There they assisted with providing custom fit, pediatric wheelchairs for 40 children. These wheelchairs will be adjusted regularly over the coming years by the local physical therapists to accommodate the growth changes of each child and to ensure long-term success.

During the clinic days, while some children were fit for wheelchairs, other children in the community received pediatric medical exams and audiology care. More than 100 children received medical care, and an additional 48 children received new hearing aids. The hearing aids were fit by Guatemalan hearing care professionals trained by Dr. Mallahan and his colleagues over the past 20 years--Guatemalans serving Guatemalans in a sustainable program. 

In traveling to Guatemala for over 20 years, Dr. Mallahan notes the situation has improved significantly. “I was taking two teams a year. We're down to one a year now. When I was teaching in the doctoral program at the University of Washington, I would bring my students there to train Guatemalans. Now the hearing healthcare specialists that we trained are training others, and we can now focus our training on the latest technology. Every other year we still take a surgical team out to rural areas,” he explains.

Over the years more than 1,000 Guatemalan children have benefited from ear, nose, and throat surgeries, with over 4000 receiving hearing aids. Explaining the funding of the trips, Michael notes all the many contributors. “Everyone pays their own way--flights, meals, transportation, and lodging. We fundraise for surgical equipment, anesthesia supplies, medications, and new hearing aids. The Mill Creek Rotary has been a great help, running an auction specifically for Guatemala. Many team members who have worked with us in the past continue to contribute financial support,” he says.

Dr. Mallahan and other Mill Creek Rotary Club members will be returning in November of 2025 for another week of ENT surgeries and hearing care. This effort is financially supported by The Children’s Health Project which is a 501©3 charitable organization. Tax deductible contributions in support of this life-changing work can be made at www.chp.org.