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Sister Elizabeth Vadakekara, M.D. Sister Elizabeth is one of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer. Sister-Doctor Elizabeth Vadakekara grew up with neighbors of different castes and religions, which prepared her for life as a missionary. She made her First Vows as a Medical Mission Sister in 1968, at age 18, and attended the Christian Medical College in Punjab. "I realized that I enjoyed caring for the sick and suffering, and I could journey with them," Sister Elizabeth explains. She chose to be a general practitioner, and served as a junior doctor at Kurji Holy Family Hospital in Patna, and Holy Family Hospital in Mandar. "My interest has always been connected to community-based interventions," she says. Sister Elizabeth's first overseas mission was to Holy Family Hospital in Bongao, the Philippines, where she practiced as a physician for 5 years. "We were available 24 hours, 7 days a week and 365 days of the year," she remembers. "Interaction with the tribal people energized me, and sustained my commitment to be for the people without counting the cost." When Sister Elizabeth returned to India, her focus was on developing community health programs in different villages with a vision of self-supported programs for the people and by the people. She went on to London, and earned her Post Graduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from King's College. In 2004, Sister Elizabeth began serving a 6-year term as our Sector Coordinator in Asia. A member of the Kerala Conference of Major Superiors' Action Committee for Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation, she coordinated many aspects of our outreach to tsunami victims. She also is involved with the Thrani Center for Crisis Control, and represents the center to the government's health department when needed. In addition, she is a consultant for HIV/AIDS patients. "I believe that spirituality is the process of discovering that happens at every moment of our life," Sister Elizabeth shares. "It is the recognition of God abiding within one's deepest being as the source of one's very existence and the source of goodness. It is integral to my doing and being."
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