Craig's Playground

At Operation International UK our mission is to change and save as many lives as possible regardless of income, gender, sexual orientation, cultural, ethnic, political, or religious affiliations. Our volunteer doctors, nurses & operating technicians travel to rural locations around the world for week-long missions providing surgical care to hundreds of patients, free of charge. To ensure that our efforts impact underserved communities for years to come, we also offer training to local health care workers. Craig Mastracci was one of our most dedicated volunteers and he joined team UK in 2019 at the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman, Ghana.

This is a 300 bedded hospital employing nearly 700 staff and provides secondary care to the people of Techiman and beyond. The hospital was founded in 1954 by the Catholic Medical Missions Sisters and its mission is to deliver quality care for the poor, neglected in society in a courteous, respectful, and compassionate manner.

During this mission Craig made the patients staff and volunteers smile every day. We had a life changing week and vowed to reunite on a future mission. Planning for the next mission was underway when fate took dear Craig from us. He passed away suddenly on February 6, 2021. Craig is greatly missed by all who knew him. He was a kind, generous man who gave all of himself, always. He leaves behind his two children, Josh and Julia, who made great sacrifices of their own just as their dear Dad helped others.

He had a particular love for caring for the most vulnerable. Craig became a registered nurse and practised in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). He then became a flight nurse for University of Michigan, proceeding to Nurse Anaesthetist school before becoming a Paediatric Certified Registered Nurse Anaesthetist (CRNA). In service of others and his Country, Craig enlisted with the US Army reserve division for over 20 years, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC), a field-grade officer rank. He completed 5 tours of Afghanistan and several other regions as a CRNA on military humanitarian missions.

As a tribute to Craig; OIUK, the Holy Family hospital and his family and friends have all come together to set up a GoFundMe to raise the funds to build a playground. The hospital's paediatric department treats thousands of children each year but has no dedicated play facilities on-site for children to enjoy during their visit.

You can make a difference by donating to our fund. With your donation we will design, build and maintain a playground on the hospital grounds. This will be a safe space for the children to play and forget about their ailments for an hour or two. Any surplus funds would also be used to buy paediatric hospital equipment for which there is always a need.

This playground would be emblematic of all the places around the world where Craig has volunteered. It would be a true gift to others, namely the children who travel far distances to receive life-saving medical care. We are certain that this playground in his name reflects his joy for life and his love of play. While it would be in Craig’s name it is also for his family who love him and miss him. It would also be for his future family who will carry his love in their veins - always.