our Nicaragua team

LEAD SURGEON
​
Dr. Michael S. Womack
Pediatric Cardiologist
St. Luke's Children's Hospital
Dr. Michael Womack, MD is a Pediatric Cardiology Specialist in Boise, ID and has over 31 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center At Dallas medical school in 1991. 
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mission dates

date

October 19-24, ​2025

interested in
​traveling with us?

LOCATION

Managua,
​Nicaragua

Join us as a medical volunteer

join us as a non-medical volunteer

the need

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, yet it remains the second-poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly half of its 6 million people live below the poverty line, and 80% survive on less than $2 a day. While the government offers universal healthcare, access to specialty care — especially for children with heart conditions — is extremely limited.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death at every age. For a child diagnosed with a condition like mitral valve stenosis, there is often no clear path to treatment — and little reason to hope.

There are no cardiology or pediatric cardiology training programs in Nicaragua. That’s where Mending Kids steps in. Led by Dr. Michael Womack, our interventional cardiology mission doesn’t just save lives — it builds local capacity by training the country's only team of public hospital pediatric cardiologists.

​Your support helps us keep returning until they no longer need us.

Dr. Womack sharing experiences - Nicaragua Mission Trip April 2022

Progress and Goals

• After a decade without a functioning cardiac catheterization lab, Hospital La Mascota finally has a new one. This upcoming mission will be the first to use it.
  
• Until now, all pediatric heart procedures had to be performed at an adult Ministry of Health hospital — requiring fragile children to be transported across town. This added risk, took time, and limited how many kids could be treated.
  
• Dr. Michael Womack has been leading this mission and laying the groundwork for sustainable care by:
  
  • Personally mentoring the local Nicaraguan team
    
• Building a cross-border coalition of pediatric cardiologists:
  
  • Dr. Rafael Gutierrez – Costa Rica
    
  • Dr. Aldo Campos – Panama
    
  • Dr. Christian Ramirez – Nicaragua
    
• Creating a collaborative network that shares knowledge and supports one another between missions
  
• Thanks to this investment in training, Nicaragua’s local team is gaining independence. Dr. Womack believes they’re on track to perform procedures on their own — and each mission brings them closer.
  
• Dr. Christian Ramirez is the only full-time pediatric interventional cardiologist at La Mascota, working alongside a small but growing team. Every skill he gains, and every colleague brought into the fold, helps lay the foundation for a permanent pediatric cardiology department — one that can meet the needs of Nicaragua’s children without relying on outside support.

They Can’t Do It Without You

• We’re closer than ever to creating a sustainable pediatric cardiology program in Nicaragua. Your gift helps finish what we’ve started.

Nicaragua ​Interventional Cardiology Mission​​

Help Us Mend Kids in Nicaragua.

Our surgical team is donating their skills, time, and hearts — but getting them there, and giving them what they need to operate, takes resources.

Your donation helps cover flights from Los Angeles, hotel stays near the hospital, extra luggage fees to transport vital supplies, and the consumables needed in every surgery. It also supports the effort behind the scenes to make it all run smoothly.

Every dollar gets us closer to transforming lives — not just through surgery, but through the power of showing up.