Calgary doctor honoured for work fighting cancer in Guatemala

A veteran Calgary doctor is getting some well-deserved international recognition.

Retired surgeon Dr. Walley Temple is leading a team that’s overcoming obstacles to save a lot of lives.

Temple is part of a Rotary Club medical mission that’s making a big difference in Guatemala.

The medical team is running mobile clinics that provide remote mountain areas with screening and treatment for cervical cancer.

“With minimal supplies, you go into the remote jungles in Guatemala, which has one of the highest incidences of cervix cancer in the world,” Temple said. “It’s a terrible disease.”

It often takes considerable effort for people in the area to access the services.

“One of the worst cases was a woman with arthritis of the hip coming in for a consultation,” Temple said. “She walked three days from her mountain village to our mobile clinic.”

Temple shared stories and photos of the Guatemala project with fellow Calgary Rotarians Barb Young and Dr. Israel Belenkie.

“(We used) simple equipment, a little bit of vinegar, a swab – apply vinegar to the cervix, and if it turns white, that’s the cancerous tissue,” Temple said. “All you have to do is apply a heated probe to the cervix and that kills the cancer cells.”

Temple’s volunteer work in Guatemala has earned him a major award from the Rotary Club.

“To have our project recognized was thrilling,” Temple said. “The credit is equally shared with so many people.”

The award will be presented to Temple when he travels to Singapore in May to attend the Rotary Club’s 2024 international convention.

“Out of 1.4 million people worldwide in Rotary, you are one of six people being recognized this year,” Young told Temple.

“It’s just wonderful – we’re so proud of what you have done and how many people in the world you’ve helped.”

Belenkie, a retired cardiologist, has also helped a lot of people through Rotary medical projects in places like the Philippines and Nicaragua.

Belenkie knows how much effort and dedication is involved in Temple’s project in Guatemala.

“(Temple’s) a great leader,” Belenkie said.

Temple is planning to head back to Guatemala later this year to carry on the project, which includes training Guatemalan health-care workers to continue providing cancer screening and treatment.

“To think that we’re preventing so much cancer is just very exciting,” Temple said.

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