So No Child Must Wait

Flowers all done

  Flowers all done 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Azogues, Ecuador - Here you can see Tamara's pretty, finished flowers.

Sheila Wolfson Is So Great

Shiela and Tamara Making Flowers
Originally uploaded by interplast.

Azogues, Ecuador - Sheila Wolfson is so great with the kids. Here she´s helping Tamara make paper flowers while Tamara waits to be taken to surgery for her cleft palate.

Azogues, Ecuador 2006: Francisco After Interplast

 

                   Watch the video 

When Francisco woke up and went to the recovery room, we called for his parents, who had been so worried. Though they never said much, you could see it in their faces . . . particularly his father, who wanted to be the one to come into the surgical waiting room with him and ultimately hand him over to complete strangers. I´ll try to get a picture of him with Francisco on the ward tomorrow before they go home. Because the operating area is typically crowded already, we can only let one parent in at a time. So it was his mother who came in after the surgery. In this video, she is feeding him. The nurse asks, and the translator communicates the question, when he was last fed. If you can’t hear the audio, the mother responds that it was 10 o’clock last night. By this time it’s two in the afternoon. The nurse’s last comment, at the end of the video, is “give him some more!”

Azogues, Ecuador 2006: Mommy Comforting Kerly

  Kerly and Mom 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Kerly also had surgery today. She was crying desperately for her mommy when she woke up, and we couldn’t get mommy in there fast enough! In this picture, Mommy is in the bed with her, comforting her.

Azogues, Ecuador 2006: Totally Transformed By Reconstructive Surgery

  Drs. Guillermo Quinde and Federico Di Francesco 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Both Dr. Quinde, our local host, and Dr. Di Francesco worked on Francisco’s lip. The surgery lasted about two hours, and Francisco was totally transformed. What’s really terrific is that his cleft is being repaired before he starts to speak, so he won’t develop the speech impediments that are characteristic of children whose clefts aren’t repaired this early. Also, he won’t face the ridicule from other children that is so often the case. He may never know what it might have been to be shunned, denied an education, and have limited opportunities. This beautiful, outgoing little boy is now free to live a full life.

Azogues, Ecuador 2006: Just Irresistible!

  Francisco Before Interplast 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Francisco captured everyone’s hearts. He is a gorgeous 4 month-old, which is not surprising, since both his parents are really good looking. He had a rather severe cleft, as I hope you can see in this picture. He has loads of personality, and is just irresistible! This picture was taken on the ward this morning before he was taken to surgery. If you have never seen a baby with a cleft smile at you, I promise you are missing a real treat!

Azogues, Ecuador: Too Much For Me

The parents weren´t the only emotional ones. One of our surgeries was a cleft lip for a little adorable girl who I think was about two years old named Christiana. When she woke up we put a gown and hairnet on her mother and brought her into the recovery room. What happened next had me sobbing. Christiana and her mother reached for each other simultaneously. Her mother cradled her in her arms--IVs and all--and they just stared at each other. It was too much for me.

I´m watching this happen for the first time, and I am so grateful to see our program first hand. All other knowledge about it becomes irrelevant when you see these children go into the OR, and two hours later they come to recovery with a whole new life ahead of them.

I have photos of Christiana, but as yet have been unable to post pics. I promise I will figure it out, though, so check back.

Azogues, Ecuador: Scenarios

Our first day of surgery started with rounds on the ward to check on the children. That was followed by "scenarios" which consisted of the chief anesthesiologist posing some potential problems, and our medical personnel along with local personnel identifying what would be available to us to deal with them. But the day ended with successful surgeries, sleepy kids, and emotional parents.

Azogues, Ecuador: I'm in Awe

It was incredible. Many of these families had traveled many hours, or even days, in hopes of receiving surgery for their children. They were incredibly patient with the long wait, and very attentive to their children, who were so well-behaved.

The team is working together really well, which is impressive when you know that five or six of us are on our first trip--including me.  Imagine fourteen people arriving half way around the world with 29 BIG boxes of supplies and equipment. They wake up the next morning, launch into  action, and within an hour they are unpacked, setting up and screening kids. I´m in awe.

But even that pales in comparison to the hardship and determination of these families who have such hope for their children. I will tell you some of their stories, (and hopefully have photographs) in the coming days.

Azogues, Ecuador: Amazing Clinic Day

Clinic day was every bit as amazing as I expected it would be. We had so many children and families to see that it seemed impossible we could screen all of them in one day, but we did, and had a full schedule of surgeries for the next day.

But to do that, many families had to wait for hours and hours. I learned early to pay attention to the noise level. When it began to get loud with restless children, I would go out into the waiting area with crayons, and activities books provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities, who generously sponsored this trip. My wonderful mentor, Sheila Wolfson, clued me in to this. Once the children were occupied, the noise level would drop for a time, and I returned to helping Sheila make charts for those scheduled for surgery. That meant that I got to see all of the children that we will be helping in the next two weeks.