I was diagnosed with tonsil/tongue cancer in Florida and had surgery there at an exorbitant price, and with extremely unsatisfactory results. The doctor in Florida knew I had no insurance, so he neglected to offer any after-surgery care (chemo/radiation therapy) and two months later, the cancer came roaring back involving my neck and lymph glands.

In Guatemala, I remembered folks talking about an outfit called Guatemala Medical Travel, and the excellent care/prices they received while there, so I emailed them. Happily, I’m still here to share the story. After corresponding with Lori, the director of this service, I flew to Guatemala and was picked up at the airport and whisked off to the beautiful colonial city of Antigua and my home for the next 2 1/2 months. Within 24 hours, I had consultations with the best medical specialists, plus CT scans, blood work, EKG, meetings with the ENT team and the radiology specialist, and two days later had surgery on my neck and lymph glands.  Then came 6 weeks of radiation therapy. The hospital was 1st class, the doctors (all fluent in English) graduates of schools/hospitals such as Johns-Hopkins, Sloane- Kettering, etc., and the radiology facility/equipment was brand new and state of the art.

The cost of surgery/treatment was 1/6 of that of the U.S. but, most importantly, the level of care was incredible; the doctors/nurses treated me as a person not a number and I can honestly say that these people are now among my friends—something I cannot say of their U.S. counterparts who seemed more interested in the depth (or lack of) my bank account.