‘It’s a fulfillment of his brief life’: Mongolia Bound mission continues legacy of Wolfson Children’s Hospital patient

Wolfson Children's, Nemours Children’s Health providers prepare for 11th mission trip to Mongolia.

Jacksonville, FL -

In September 2010, 12-year-old Jonathan Soud passed away from complications arising from leukemia. Fourteen years later, a group of providers from Wolfson Children's Hospital and Nemours Children's Health are keeping Jonathan’s memory and legacy alive through Mongolia Bound.

Launched in 2012, Mongolia Bound is an educational program that provides doctors at The National Center for Maternal and Child Health (NCMCH) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with training, supplies, equipment and other medical tools needed to treat childhood cancers.

"I think every family, when they lose a child, wants to feel like something meaningful will come out of it, and for the Soud family and Jonathan, it’s true," said Eric Sandler, MD, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist with Wolfson Children's Hospital and chair of Pediatrics and director of neuro-oncology at Nemours Children’s Health. Dr. Sandler, who treated Jonathan, will be traveling to Mongolia this month.

"We partner with the staff at The National Center for Maternal and Child Health in Mongolia to teach their physicians and care providers what we know and learn what they know. We help the Center get what they need, whether it's a new piece of lab equipment, chemotherapy drugs or access to new treatment protocols,” Dr. Sandler said. “Our mission trips have expanded to include other disciplines such as pediatric endocrinology, general pediatric surgery and pediatric neurology.”

A history of collaboration

Mongolia Bound’s roots go back to 2000 when Dr. Sandler was approached by a colleague from Mongolia who shared that the survival rate for leukemia in Mongolia was 0% compared to nearly 65% in the United States.

"I started sending ideas, and we talked on and off over the years. I always thought maybe I'd visit Mongolia one day, but nothing came of it until many years later when the topic came up in conversation with Jonathan," Dr. Sandler recalled.

That conversation happened in 2010 during Jonathan’s Wolfson Children’s Hospital stay. Dr. Sandler told Jonathan that he had always wanted to visit Mongolia.

Jonathan’s father, Steve Soud, said his son had been interested in geography from a young age. In the months before he passed away, he became fascinated with Mongolia.

"The rest is history," Soud said.

Looking back on the early years of Mongolia Bound, Soud recalled a conversation with the leadership of NCMCH as the first trip wrapped up in 2012. The group was told that while many people come to Mongolia, they rarely return. Dr. Sandler made a promise to return, and he did, year after year. Later, he was presented with an honorary degree from NCMCH.

"That was profoundly moving. I give Dr. Sandler all the credit for this. We were merely a catalyst, and Dr. Sandler has sustained this program," Soud said. "As a father who has lost a child, to know that Dr. Sandler and his colleagues have made such a difference and earned the respect of the people of Mongolia through Jonathan’s legacy is deeply humbling and gratifying all at the same time."

2024 Mongolia Bound providers

This month's trip, which is scheduled for the last week of September, will be the program's 11th overall. While the first trip in 2012 was hematology/oncology focused, Dr. Sandler said the needs at NCMCH have grown.

"Now we bring a diverse team of providers with us each time," he said, adding that the trip this month will include pediatric surgeons for the first time. "The bottom line is everyone who goes on the trip shares the belief that every child in the world is entitled to the same quality of care."

Along with Dr. Sandler, the team of providers traveling to Mongolia this year includes,

Tumenjargal Turmunkh, MD, a pediatrician from Mongolia, is also joining the group this year.

During the 2023 Mongolia Bound trip, Dr. Turmunkh worked as a translator for the Jacksonville team. Since August, she has been observing providers at Wolfson Children's and Nemours Children's Health at Dr. Fox's invitation.

"I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of how providers educate patients diagnosed with diabetes and how the disease is managed at home. I also wanted to learn more about asthma patients and their management plans," said Dr. Turmunkh, who has spent time observing providers who specialize in pediatric endocrinology, hematology/oncology and pulmonology.

"The clinic where I work in Mongolia plans to implement a program for diabetes and asthma patients, and my experience here will be a significant asset," she said.

Supporting Jonathan’s legacy

The Mongolia Bound program is 100% donor-supported through an endowment created by the Soud family. As the providers prepare for the trip, Dr. Sandler and Steve Soud said they are grateful for the community's ongoing support.

"They say losing a child is the single most painful or worst thing that can happen to a person, and I'm certainly not in a position to argue with that, but you hope that your child and your child's spirit can live on in some type of legacy," Soud said. "For Jonathan's legacy to help save cancer-stricken children in Mongolia is gratifying; it gives you a sense of purpose, and it's a fulfillment of his brief life."

Click here to donate to Mongolia Bound and type, “Jonathan Soud endowment” into the comment section. To follow along with Dr. Sandler and the team during the upcoming trip, go to care4mongoliakids.wordpress.com.