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Photos by Katie Klein and Roxana Vasquez.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is nestled in the quaint town of Nogalas, Ariz. neighboring the U.S.-Mexico border. Like other Christian churches, the St. Andrew’s parish is devoted to serving God and the community.

But, for one Thursday a month, the church becomes a sanctuary for the young, the weak, the ill, the disabled, and the impoverished as the St. Andrew’s Children's Clinic.

This children's clinic serves Mexican families who can’t afford medical care, offering services from speech therapy to transfers for life-saving surgery.



A makeshift clinic, the hallways, closets, and tiny crevices transform into not-so-private doctor’s offices.




One hallway is enterprisingly separated with screens and folding tables, creating three separate areas. This crowded, bustling walkway comprises the Pediatrics ward.







Dr. Ron Grant has been volunteering his time to the clinic for several years.


A kind man with an insatiable thirst for education, Grant took his career for a 180-degree excursion when he earned his MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Arizona after working as a board-certified pediatrician for two decades.

While he no longer works in the medical field, Grant volunteers at the clinic often.

“Here we are helping people who can’t get help anywhere else,” Grant said.




Also a cross-country coach at Sunnyside High School, in Tucson, Ariz., Grant occasionally brings young teenagers to share in the inspiring experience.


One of his student athletes, Juan Ramirez, helps Grant translate.



Pediatrics is often the first stop for children at the clinic. Grant and other pediatricians review medical records, give medical advice and usually prescribe medications.

But, sometimes the best medicine is a good listener.


Tired and exhausted, one mother spoke extensively about the temper tantrums of her young child who suffered from seizures.



Her facial expressions were grieving with maternal concern and her voice sounded hurried as if near tears while she spoke on and on about her child--not about the seizures, but the temper tantrums.



Grant, through his translator, nodded sympathetically and advised the overwhelmed mother to ignore the unruly behavior, saying that “sometimes the best response is none at all,” sounding more like a therapist than a medical doctor, a common practice in the clinic.





For Grant, that is what makes his time well-spent, helping families heavy with burden cope and survive when have no where else to turn.

The small role Grant plays is part of a collective caring initiative, and the end results are little miracles.