Read Professor's feedback!
Jenna Jarecki, MOTS, University of Indianapolis

"Anything I could say about my trip to Mazatlan would be an understatement. The experience itself was invaluable. Push International has developed a program for their volunteers that allows them to immerse themselves into the culture of the people they are helping, while giving them the chance to learn without boundaries. The environment they have created is conducive to new ideas and self-discovery, something that is hard to find in a clinical setting in the United States. As volunteers, we were challenged to solve problems that we had not faced before and work as a team to get the job done. Unbreakable bonds were formed between team members and the families who came into our lives through this mission, and in the end, everyone left with a little more hope than they had come with."
Read more about Jenna's Team's trip!

Grace Kim, MOTR/L, University of Puget Sound Almni

“I feel so much more comfortable touching clients and talking to people after we had the chance to do it in Mexico. Now it is less scary and I feel more prerpared for my clinicals.”
Read more about Grace's Team's trip!

Sarah-Ruth, MOTS, University of Indianapolis

"It is impossible to describe the rich experience of being in Mazatlan, Mexico. As a therapy student, this is an incredible opportunity that just requires a leap of faith. The skills, knowledge, and perspective that can be gained are invaluable for creating an exceptional practice.
Thanks so much for letting UIndy be a part of Push's mission!"
Read more about Sarah-Ruth's Team's trip!

Melissa Giles, MSOTS University of Puget Sound

"The Push International staff is composed of the most compassionate and self-less people I have ever met. As an occupational therapy graduate student, I was seeking a chance to use my knowledge to benefit a community and simultaneously learn more about the world of therapy. Volunteering through Push International gave me this opportunity. We brought donated wheelchairs to Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico and fit 50 people for wheelchairs and then drove back to the therapy center in Mazatlan to fit two more children for chairs. One woman looking to find a wheelchair for her young son traveled a far distance to meet with us Culiacan. Unfortunately we did not have any wheelchair options for her son at that site, but the Push team did not drop the issue. In fact, we readily offered to drive her back to the therapy center in Mazatlan to find and fit a wheelchair for her son. By the time we reached Mazatlan, the team got to work and adjusted and renovated a wheelchair to be not only supportive, but also comfortable for her son. We were also able to educate her on the various ways to adjust the wheelchair when appropriate and how to safely maneuver the wheelchair. This story is one of many from the volunteer trip that shows the relentless passion to help all families no matter what the circumstances. Push International, thank you for this amazing learning and growing experience!"
Read more about Melissa's Team's trip!

Amanda Lautenschlager, MOTR/L University of Puget Sound Alumni

“Our first wheelchair distribution was one of the many wonderful experiences I had while in Mazatlan.  I was part of an amazing team that really pulled together to find the correct wheelchair for each person we helped.  It was a lot of work but I am so proud of what we accomplished.  The people we worked with were so appreciative and thankful.  The environment I worked in was extremely supportive while pushing me past my comfort level to expand my skills.  It was truly life-changing, and I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who wants to experience new things and make a difference in the world.”  
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Jessica Foust, MOTS, University of Indianapolis

"My experience in Mexico was truly amazing. Actually to say amazing is an understatement. Before this trip, I did not know if I would be prepared for my long level II fieldwork, let alone my level I's. Even though I am only a 1st year, I now know that I do have strong clinical reasoning skills and the confidence to perform to the best of my ability when working with adults and children. This trip to Mazatlan has helped me grow as a person, it has taught me things I would like to continue to work on, and has confirmed how touch and laughing are so therapeutic for client/patient and for me as well. The relationships I have made, everything I have experienced and everything I have learned from the leaders, the 2nd years, the mother's in Mazatlan, and the children will stay with me forever. I hope to apply what I have learned and experienced in all that I do.
The relationships I have made and the lives I have impacted on this trip will always be with me. I hope to return to Mazatlan next year (if not earlier) with more knowledge and ideas, and to impact the lives of those in Mazatlan by distributing more wheelchairs and equipment."
Read more about Jessica's Team's trip!

Dave Fouquette, MOTR/L University of Puget Sound Alumni

“My first memory has to be the man who had a cervical injury and had been bedridden since last summer.  Being able to provide him with his first wheelchair and chance to be independent was a good feeling.  It's incredible that there are so many people who don't have the most basic of needs.  Push gave me a chance to help people who really need it. Once you've done you don't want to stop.  You think to yourself that this is not right that there are people who are literally trapped in their own house, their own bed, because they do not have the resources to get what they need. I think everyone should try it once and then they will be sold.  Helping others is the best vacation you can have.” 
Read more about Dave's Team's trip!

-Christiane Smith-Buhl, MOTR/L University of Puget Sound Alumni

"A ten year old boy came into the rehabilitation center being pushed by his parents.  The chair he was in was too large for him and he was slumped over and not interacting with his environment.  I thought he must be severely disabled.  We put him into a smaller kiddie chair and adjusted it to fit him.  We took his hands and showed him how to push the chair.  Within five minutes he was wheeling himself around the room with a huge smile on his face teasing people that he was going to run them over.  He is now able to interact with his environment independently and can be in charge of where he wants to go." Read more about Christiane's Team's trip!

-Jacquelyn Cowan-Wetzel, MOTR/L University of Puget Sound Alumni

"We found Oscar lying in bed when we went to deliver his wheelchair. He had spent the last year there after his spinal cord injury at the level of T7. He was living with his 80-year-old mother who cared for him. Oscar did not want to move – did not want to be moved. He eventually let us help him to sit up, but he quickly got dizzy, and I began to wonder how we would ever get him into the wheelchair. After much more convincing he let us transfer him into the chair. Using skills learned in school, a couple of students successfully transferred Oscar into his new chair. He then pushed himself outside for the first time in a year. As his mother watched him, she sat on the bed and started sobbing at the sight of her son smiling in the sunlight. In that moment, I saw that we weren’t just giving away a chair; we were giving Oscar a chance.
Once outside, I watched in awe as one of my classmates made a catheter bag out of an old pair of pantyhose. I was excited watching us all come together to help this man and his mother and watching Oscar’s spirit change as he began to see the possibilities that were still available to him. When we left Oscar’s house, we felt uplifted, inspired, and unfinished. We decided that at least some of us needed to go back to teach Oscar how to get in and out of his chair. Fortunately, we were able to schedule a small group of us to go back to teach him how to transfer in and out of his chair independently and safely.

When we walked into Oscar’s house the second time, we were a much smaller group. We were very warmly greeted by his mother at the door and once inside, we were welcomed by a man who was sitting more upright in bed, who looked excited that we were back, and who was willing to try anything that we showed him. Recent OT graduate, Dave, demonstrated for him how to use a transfer board to go to and from the chair. Then we let Oscar practice with us behind and in front of him for balance. Little by little, he was able to move along the transfer board from the bed to the chair. When he reached the chair, he was breathing hard, he was exhausted, but he also looked proud. He had done it by himself and it was only going to get easier.

His mother told us that he had lost the will to live since his injury and that since we had given him the chair, his spirit had come back. She hugged and kissed us and told us that we were all welcome back in her home anytime. I left that day feeling like we had just been given the opportunity to significantly change someone’s life. Oscar and his mother changed the expectations I had for myself and for the rest of the trip. We were told before going to Mazatlan, “Expect to be loved by the people you work with. Expect to be touched. Expect to weep.” Oscar and his mother fulfilled all of these expectations and more. The experience was far more than I expected."

Read more about Jacquelyn's Team's trip!