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SAN ANTONIO
MEDICINE

The Dream Continues

By Carlos R. Orozco, MD
T his is a follow-up to an article that appeared in San Antonio

Medicine magazine in May of 2023, which provided a 34-year
history, from its formation to the current date, of the medical
mission group of dreamers called Los Quijotes of San Antonio.
From September 2-10, 2023, a group of about 70 volunteers, con-
sisting of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, students and nonmedical
helpers, at their own expense, went to the city of Oaxaca, Mexico to
provide medical services for the less fortunate people and medically
needy of that region. As on previous trips, testing, counseling, medical
care and medications were provided.
A concise summary of the data gathered was provided by volunteers
from the University of the Incarnate Word, a school which aligned
with the original Los Quijotes several years ago. Dr. Barbara Aranda,
former provost and nurse, along with her husband, was instrumental
in this addition.
It needs to be pointed out that throughout these mission trips, we
have been very fortunate to have always had the usual, tremendous co-
operation from the local government officials and the medical commu-
nity who have greatly facilitated our success as a mission.
From the data gathered, approximately 2,000 prescriptions were filled
with about a quarter being analgesic/anti-inflammatory medications, fol-
lowed by 10 to 11 percent for gastrointestinal and ophthalmologic prob-
lems. The cost of approximately $13,000 for medications, testing and
medical supplies was raised through contributions from various sources.
The average number of dental patients seen by one dental hygienist
and two dentists — one being Dr. Javier Garcia, a long-time Quijote
— were 100 to 125 per day with 30 percent extractions, 60 percent
cleaning and 60 percent fitting.
This year we had two volunteer ophthalmologists — Dr. Ricardo
Sepulveda from San Antonio and Dr. Juan Jose Cueto from Monterrey
— who performed 30 cataract surgeries in three days, with 81 patients
on the waiting list for next year. Through the coordinated efforts of
many and the supervision of Rachel San Martin (with memory of her
late husband, ophthalmologist and Quijote leader-founder, Dr.
Roberto San Martin) 1,149 pairs of glasses were provided, of which
309 were donated by an optical company in Austin, Texas.
Traveling to Oaxaca was not difficult, with direct flights from Dallas
to a nice, well-run airport in Oaxaca. The lodging and flights were fi-
nanced personally by each Quijote at a cost of $400 to $500 for
roundtrip air, and the hotel cost was $80 per day for a single room and
Scenes from Los Quijotes of San Antonio's 2023 Oaxacan mission trip. $40 per day for double occupancy.
At the Marques Del Valle hotel, lodging is very cozy on the periphery

26 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • January 2024