Procedures provided by the ship's crew range from cataract repair and cleft-palate reconstruction to hysterectomy and hernia surgeries as the ship docks for 10 to 12 days at a time. The itinerary comprises Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Antigua, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Surgeries and short recoveries take place on the ship; volunteers go ashore to staff temporary clinics in schools and community centers.

Through June, Continuing Promise 2009 had conducted nearly 1,000 surgeries and treated 56,000 people — with 90,000 operations and procedures expected to be completed when the mission ends July 31.

The LDS Church is also providing additional help, as full-time missionaries at each location act as interpreters and help coordinate logistics.

Muir recalls an Antiguan woman, who during surgery to have her uterus removed also suffered slight complications with a nicked bladder and a subsequent "belly full of urine." The woman required a second surgery and a prolonged stay on the ship, with Muir accompanying her on a flight back to an onshore hospital to ensure all went well.

"She was an incredible patient," said Muir, mindful that many U.S. patients would be considering lawsuits in a similar situation. "All the patients there had the same loving, optimistic attitude that this patient had — she was so grateful."

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