26th Expedition June: Belterra on the Surgical Journey

Adriel needed to have his gallbladder removed. He was number 1,685 on the SUS waiting list and could no longer play. His mother, Nikita, saw on television that Zoé was at the Belterra Hospital and went there without any guarantees. The team mobilized, and Adriel was operated on during this expedition. With each expedition, we hear dozens of stories like Adriel's. For those who have waited for years, a simple surgery returns much more than just health: it returns playing, working, sleeping, and the life that had been on pause.

Vandressa França began experiencing daily abdominal pain, and after a CT scan, she discovered she had gallstones. At the Santarém UPA, she was told she would have to wait between six months and a year to be operated on at the municipal hospital. Desperate, she didn't know how she could live with pain for so long and even considered dropping out of college because of it. When she checked Instagram, Vandressa saw that Zoé's Expedition would take place at the end of June and rushed to sign up. She managed to schedule an evaluation with Dr. Marcelo Averbach, who explained the risks of surgery and the lack of ICU at the hospital. He promised to give her an answer by the end of the day, and to her joy, she was called in for surgery. On the day of the surgery, Dr. Marcelo and the anesthetist, Dr. Beatriz Santanna, were extremely careful and attentive. The surgery was complicated and took longer than expected, but it was a success. Vandressa was immensely grateful to the doctors for their care and dedication. Vandressa also thanked everyone who helps ONG Zoé continue its work in the region. Thanks to donations, collaborators, and volunteers, the work continues saving lives like hers. \"Thank you very much!\", concluded Vandressa.