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Volunteer Story Peru

A Front-Line Hero: Remembering Nurse Carlos Armas

Volunteer Story Peru

A Front-Line Hero: Remembering Nurse Carlos Armas

Volunteer nurse Carlos Armas screens a patient during a 2015 Operation Smile medical mission in the Dominican Republic. Photo: Marc Ascher.

Serving as one of Operation Smile Peru’s most beloved and admired volunteer nurses, Carlos Armas leaves behind a powerful legacy etched in the hearts and minds of those who knew him.

It is with great sadness that, on June 29, we learned Carlos lost his battle with COVID-19 after bravely fighting on the front lines of the pandemic. He was 63.

His commitment to patients was deeply ingrained in his spirit of wanting to care for people in need.

Despite knowing the risks, Carlos proudly led a team of selfless medical professionals and delivered much-needed care to people impacted by the coronavirus in his country.

“I still remember my last conversation with Carlitos,” said Anyela Quintanilla, Programs and Student Clubs Manager for Operation Smile Peru. “He said that they told him he could take leave because he was part of the high-risk group, but he refused to stay home. He decided to work at his hospital’s COVID area, passionately and lovingly caring for his patients.”

Motivated to help others at a young age, Carlos began his career as a nurse technician when he was 20 years old. But deep down, he always aspired to do more in his field.

Years later, after incredible determination and effort, Carlos graduated from Universidad Ricardo Palma at the age of 50 with a degree in nursing.

With pride, he would say, “I am Licentiate Carlos Armas,” a term meaning “graduate.”

Carlos with a patient during a 2018 medical mission in Lima, Peru. Photo: Margherita Mirabella.

After becoming a pre- and post-operative nurse for Operation Smile Peru in 2008, Carlos constantly demonstrated how much he loved being a volunteer and how helping people was his greatest passion.

When the pandemic first impacted his country and his people, Carlos was fiercely determined to care for patients – even if that meant sacrificing his own health and safety.

“I’m a nurse who has started from the bottom,” Carlos said to people who asked him why he accepted the position on the COVID-19 response team. “I’m not afraid.”

Carlos wasn’t the kind of person to stand by and watch as people suffered. His selflessness shined, not only with Operation Smile Peru, but wherever he felt that he could make a difference.

In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlos provided his services to care for families affected by the 1991 cholera outbreak and devastating earthquake that hit Pisco, Peru, in 2007.

Even in the face of adversity during his time on the front lines, Carlos refused to lose hope.

“Our patients are going back home walking now,” Carlos had shared with his team. “Things are getting better.”

On a medical mission in Lima, Peru, Carlos performs a comprehensive health evaluation on 3-month-old Gael during screening day. Photo: Margherita Mirabella.

People were drawn to Carlos’ optimism and kindness, not only on the front lines but during every Operation Smile medical mission.

While Carlos is no longer with us to help create new smiles, his impact lives on through his friends, family and patients who were touched by his commitment and enthusiasm to do what was right.

Carlos and volunteer Nidia Ruiz during a 2015 Operation Smile medical mission in Puebla, Mexico. Photo: Marc Ascher.

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