Mark Pope Details Scary Moment When Daughter Needed Emergency Surgery Abroad

“Mark Pope may not be a doctor, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

That would have been the opener if Ryan Lemond was responsible for writing this post. That hotel ad campaign first kicked off in 1998, but he can’t quit referencing it. It just so happens that one of the first ads from the popular series applies to this very situation.

If you recall, the Kentucky head basketball coach nearly picked up another profession. Following his professional basketball career, he picked up a scalpel and spent four years in medical school at Columbia University.

How vital was that experience? The Field of 68 guys put him to the test by bringing out a game of Operation to the Joe Craft Center.

“I trained every morning in medical school,” said the confident Kentucky head coach.

He easily maneuvered around the machine, all while still holding onto a microphone. This silly game opened the door for him to share some gratitude about a scary event that recently occurred in his family.

Pope and Emergency Surgery in El Salvador

As the summer turned to fall, Mark Pope got a phone call no parent ever wants to receive.

“My daughter, Avery, is one of my heroes in life. She is serving an 18-month service mission in El Salvador. Ten years ago, El Salvador was the murder capital of the world,” Pope explained. “She called us three weeks ago, and she was in the emergency room, and they were doing an emergency appendectomy in El Salvador.”

Emergency surgery in a third-world country?

“You guys can imagine the terror…. There’s no option. There’s not time for us to fly down there. There’s not time for us to fly somebody down there. She can’t get on a plan and fly somewhere. This is the only thing,” Pope said.

Fortunately, the phone call provided a moment of reassurance for the Pope’s. The former surgeon-in-training spoke with the doctor, and they went over the next steps, allowing the family to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I got on FaceTime with the surgeon and he spoke terrific English, and we were able to go through everything. I don’t know enough, but we went through enough to know it’s going to be okay. He was a veteran guy and had been taught a long time ago.”

Gratitude was the first word that came to mind for Mark and LeeAnn. Despite the dire scenario in a country that does not have the best resources, the doctor delivered and made sure that Avery had a successful procedure. She’s back in business, still helping the people of El Salvador.

“She’s come back and she’s as salty as ever. She’s making a huge difference in the world right now, she’s healthy, and I’m grateful,” said Pope.