Our History
MEDLIFE was founded in 2005 by Nick Ellis. While working in hospitals in Ecuador, Nick volunteered as a translator for a medical mission organization. On one of these clinics, Nick met a young boy in need of heart surgery but unfortunately, the clinic was only in town for a day and could do nothing beyond making the diagnosis. Nick found this deeply troubling -- what is the point of running medical missions if they are powerless to help the people who truly need it?
Following this experience, Nick knew he had to do something. Upon returning home to Bangor, Maine, Nick stood in a Walmart parking lot asking for donations. Within hours, he had enough funds to provide heart surgery for the young boy, named Darwin. Darwin became the first MEDLIFE patient.
MEDLIFE has since expanded to other parts of Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, and Tanzania. All of MEDLIFE's work has been informed by Nick's experience with Darwin -- we partner with patients and communities, listening to their needs and helping where we can. The first 4 MEDLIFE chapters came out of Nick's experience raising money back home for Darwin. Today, there are hundreds of MEDLIFE chapters, including ours, who continue to support their ground efforts by raising awareness for global health and development issues, collecting donations and volunteering both locally and abroad.
Following this experience, Nick knew he had to do something. Upon returning home to Bangor, Maine, Nick stood in a Walmart parking lot asking for donations. Within hours, he had enough funds to provide heart surgery for the young boy, named Darwin. Darwin became the first MEDLIFE patient.
MEDLIFE has since expanded to other parts of Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, and Tanzania. All of MEDLIFE's work has been informed by Nick's experience with Darwin -- we partner with patients and communities, listening to their needs and helping where we can. The first 4 MEDLIFE chapters came out of Nick's experience raising money back home for Darwin. Today, there are hundreds of MEDLIFE chapters, including ours, who continue to support their ground efforts by raising awareness for global health and development issues, collecting donations and volunteering both locally and abroad.