TRIMEDX associate and TRIMEDX Foundation volunteer Franco Wakhisi began his career with TRIMEDX in Indianapolis in the Manager Plus One Program. Franco has been on three trips for TRIMEDX Foundation once to Nigeria and twice to Zambia.

Q: Why did you decide to volunteer with TRIMEDX Foundation?

A: I was raised in Kenya and went to clinics similar to clinics served by TRIMEDX Foundation. My mother worked in refugee camps as a midwife, and I went with her. I saw firsthand the deficiencies in medical care, and I am thankful to work at TRIMEDX because they started and continue to support the Foundation.

Q: What are some highlights of your trip?

A: We had a driver named Samuel accompany us in Nigeria, and he was quite protective of our team. We discovered that his wife was expecting a child. When we arrived at the first clinic, we discovered a greasy and filthy surgical table. We spent hours cleaning the space in order to make it more sterile. We were behind schedule to get through the barricade on the way back to the hospital. To get around the roadblock, we drove very quickly and contacted the police to let them know we were on the way. By 9 p.m., we were safely home. During all this the driver’s wife was in labor. As a thank you, we left the driver with some tools, which he then used to start repairing things around the hospital we were there to serve.

We were repairing beds in the children’s clinic where we met a family with two children. They traveled to the hospital for 12 hours over a very treacherous road. I prayed with the children and encouraged them to be courageous for the surgery. When the surgery was finished, I met them in the recovery area to speak with them. They asked me to take a “selfie” of them and were so excited to see a photograph of themselves. I was overwhelmed by the children’s purity and honesty.

Q: What is something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?

A: I am a village boy and come from humble beginnings.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My grandparents, biological mother, and adoptive parents

Thanks to the generosity of so many, the TRIMEDX Foundation continues to make a global impact by raising the standard of healthcare for communities in need. TRIMEDX Foundation is a ministry committed to sharing knowledge, inspiring independence, and improving healthcare by meeting the unique needs of the communities we serve. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit our website, trimedxfoundation.org.