To enhance her understanding of other cultures, practices, and traditions, Kira Donnelly embraces service projects that help disadvantaged populations. Last year, the UTSW Master of Prosthetics-Orthotics graduate traveled to Quito, Ecuador, as a volunteer for the Range of Motion Project (ROMP), a global nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure access to high-quality prosthetic care for underserved people, improving their mobility and independence.

ROMP provides prosthetic care, follow-up services, community-based rehabilitation, and product innovation through its operations in Guatemala, Ecuador, and the U.S.

Quito, the oldest capital in South America, is surrounded by volcanoes. Prosthetic care is limited or nonexistent in rural areas outside the city, where residents typically work in manual labor jobs or are unemployed.

In 2022, ROMP launched a new clinic in Quito. The oldest capital in South America, the city is strewn across a mountain valley and surrounded by volcanoes. Prosthetic care is almost nonexistent in rural areas outside Quito, where its inhabitants typically work in manual labor jobs or are unemployed, have limited access to health care, and cannot afford private health care and copays to cover prosthetic care. Amputees who travel to ROMP clinics have either learned to live with their disability without a prosthesis or made do with an old prosthesis or wooden crutches.

Ms. Donnelly hopes her experience will inspire current UT Southwestern students to sign up for the next ROMP volunteer program in Ecuador – July 5-14. ROMP recruits volunteers with an array of experience levels and backgrounds, including students and faculty of prosthetics, bioengineering, and physical therapy, as well as residents, engineers, prosthetists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and nurses.

Since the opening of the Quito clinic, ROMP’s local interdisciplinary team has driven a significant increase in prosthetic care with the help of international volunteers by taking patients from casting to delivery in a matter of days.

Kira Donnelly’s ROMP experience opened a new door to her future. She earned her Master of Prosthetics-Orthotics degree at UTSW in December and is currently a prosthetic-orthotic resident at Hanger Clinic in Austin, Texas, through July 2025. “I am still connected with ROMP, which is headquartered in Denver, and I hope to volunteer with the organization in Ecuador and Guatemala in the future. As I progress in my career, there are so many opportunities available, some that I don’t even know of yet. I will keep my options open and see where life takes me!”

Ms. Donnelly was one of seven U.S. volunteers who joined seven clinic staff and translators to serve 21 patients in 10 days in March 2023, many traveling from distant villages to access low-cost prosthetic care. She returned to Dallas with a renewed sense of passion for her studies and her life.

“I am a firm believer in ROMP’s mission,” Ms. Donnelly said. “By pushing myself out of my comfort zone and checking my privilege, I’ve learned valuable life lessons, gained unique perspectives, and built relationships that were unimaginable. I’ve learned to be more resourceful and creative by repurposing items and working with limited resources. And I’ve learned the true meaning of humility and gratitude,” she said.

Advantages of medical mission trips

Leslie Gray, M.Ed., an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Department of Prosthetics-Orthotics in the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions, encourages students to take advantage of the ROMP mission trip experience.

“Many of our students have volunteered with ROMP prior to enrolling in the master’s program, but due to the full-time nature and fast pace of our program, students must travel on their own time. However, we hope to coordinate with ROMP to allow time in the curriculum for more student participation in the future,” she said.

While they do not receive class credit for their participation in ROMP, students do benefit from the unique experience. “They will return with greater confidence in their skills and abilities, as well as an ability to adapt, improvise, and problem-solve. They also have a broader perspective of providing care to underserved populations and those with limited resources. While they learn a lot about prosthetics on these trips, they are mostly fulfilled by making human connections and seeing patients’ quality of life improve,” she said.

Ms. Donnelly urged students to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by ROMP. “Do not hesitate, just do it,” she said. “You can fundraise, get sponsored, and apply for scholarships. You will not regret your choice. The money you spend pales in comparison to what you experience and how much you grow. Get comfortable being uncomfortable – that is where most growth happens.”

Grateful Hearts

Photos courtesy of ROMP

Kira Donnelly’s experience as a ROMP volunteer in Ecuador made a huge impact on many lives – including her own – and those of the patients and families she helped serve.

“I get to spend more time with family and start going on walks with my wife as I did before and provide for them without fear.” – Geovanny Llivicota, 39

Geovanny Llivicota worked as a picker/farmer and lives with his wife and three children in El Pan, Ecuador. In November 2022, an automobile struck him while he was riding his motorcycle, crushing his leg and requiring an above-the-knee amputation. He learned to get around by hopping on one leg, but he tired easily and was only able to work intermittently. Accompanied by his sister, he traveled 20 hours to receive care at the Quito clinic. Since receiving his prosthesis, he is back to work and started planting tomatoes. He is happy to be able to care for his home and family again.

“If I could take a star from the sky and give it to you, I would.” – Robin Urbano, 38

In 2011, Robin Urbano was struck by a car while crossing the street, an accident that resulted in an above-the-knee amputation. For more than a decade, he lived without a prosthesis and rode his bicycle everywhere, even though he had one limb. He is a merchant who sells seafood, but he has struggled to find consistent work. He traveled two hours by bicycle to the Quito clinic, accompanied by his nephew. His new prosthesis has enabled him to get back to work, and he is enjoying life again with family and friends.

“You have given my son his life back, and for that, you are my queen.” – Father of Bryan Cañizares, 24, second from left, standing beside his son.

Bryan Cañizares was a construction worker and an avid volleyball player who lost his leg in a construction accident involving an angle grinder in July 2022. Since his above-the-knee amputation, he has struggled with depression, shame, and a lack of confidence and has not been able to work or play volleyball. Bryan traveled seven hours by bus with his father from Santo Domingo, Ecuador, to attend the ROMP clinic in Quito. He wears his prosthesis eight hours each day and is currently unemployed, but he is able to help out at home.

“My daughter is smiling and laughing; I haven’t seen her this happy in years.” – Mother of Valentina Torres, 8, says of her daughter, center.

Valentina Torres was a vibrant child who loved to draw, paint, read, and play soccer. In 2021, she touched a live electrical wire line with her right hand, shocking her body. She lost her right arm and the front half of both feet due to electrical burns. After her amputations, she struggled with depression. She traveled eight hours by bus to get to the Quito clinic with her mother and older sister. With her prosthesis, she has returned to school full time, is back to playing soccer, and is enjoying being a kid again.