> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Eliminating the pain of the price - URL: https://www.smdp.com/eliminating-the-pain-of-the-price/ - Published: 2008-03-29T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T19:03:50.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Health, Mid-City, #archive-import *Medical center donates operations to the needy* MID-CITY Marlayna Bonderer Hernandez has a lot to smile about these days, having underwent a successful spinal surgical procedure that will allow her to return home to her native El Salvador without the injury that has caused her so much pain in recent months. “I’m feeling good,” the 15-year-old girl said on Thursday, less than a week after surgery at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital. Bonderer Hernandez, who was resting in her hospital bed, hugging a stuffed Patrick Star doll, her smile a bright one, was the most recent recipient of an all-expenses paid visit to the medical center under the International Children’s Program, which awards free hospital stays and surgical operations for children in need from across the globe. The outlook wasn’t so bright a few months back for the teenager after she went airborne in a collision in El Salvador, fracturing her vertebrae. The patient was sitting in the back of a pick-up truck in December when a bus pulled out from the side of road into the vehicle, sending Bonderer Hernandez, who was curled up like a ball, flying in the air. The accident injured about 20 people, including Bonderer Hernandez’ younger sister, who severely sprained her ankles. The bus driver fled the scene, according to Michael Bonderer, the teenager’s stepfather. An El Salvadorian doctor notified the Bonderers that the teenager would need to seek surgery in the United States, informing them that the procedure and required equipment were not available in the Central American country. “I went crazy,” Bonderer said. So the hunt began, Bonderer searching the Internet for a medical center in the United States, knowing very well that affording a procedure would be difficult for the missionary, who has lived in El Salvador the past seven years building houses and clinics as part of a Kansas City organization, Homes from the Heart. “We never thought it would happen to us,” he said. The Kansas City native then landed on the Web site for the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, discovering the International Children’s Program. He immediately contacted Maria Aguilar, the program coordinator, who gave Bonderer the news he was hoping to hear — a doctor will volunteer his time and expert-ise for the surgical procedure and the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation will cover the costs for the stay. The hospital did not pay for the flight. “She’s a saint,” Bonderer said of Aguilar. But before the patient could come to the United States, there was an issue with being granted temporary access to the country. After immigration officials denied a visa, an issue that Bonderer attributes to overly heightened security standards following the Sept. 11 attacks, Bonderer flew to Kansas City to meet with his congressional representative. But it wasn’t until after the Kansas City Star wrote a piece documenting the family’s complications with navigating the immigration system that the visa was granted, Bonderer said. “There should be a medical visa for kids that is separate from all this nonsense,” he said. The patient arrived in Santa Monica last week and underwent the procedure performed by Dr. James Hamada, an orthopedic surgeon and scoliosis specialist, on March 21\. She is still recuperating and is expected to begin physical therapy next week before returning home. She is just one of a countless number of patients that have received pro bono services through the International Children’s Program, which was founded 45 years ago at the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital, which merged with Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center last year. More than 90 percent of the patients brought in from around the world are from Mexico, Aguilar said on Thursday. The hospital is also currently hosting patients from Africa and the Philippines. As part of the program, doctors with the medical center volunteer their time once a month in treating patients at a clinic on the California-Mexico border, seeing anywhere from 65 to 70 patients a day. Aguilar noted that since the terrorist attacks, it has become increasingly difficult for patients to obtain visas. On Thursday, Bonderer Hernandez was still in her bed, recovering from the surgery, watching television and holding on to her Patrick Star doll. While the procedure was successful, the teenager seems to have some doubts as to whether she will be able to play basketball again. “We’re just looking forward to being back home soon,” Bonderer said. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 29, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032908.pdf?ref=smdp.com)