Rotaplast Missions

Final thoughts

I am sitting on the balcony in the predawn coolness hours before our 7:30 a.m. departure. Concrete block housing beyond the parking lot is silhouetted in front of pink-tinged haze on the horizon. The serenity of myriad bird chirps, trills and squawks welcoming the day from mango tree perches is punctuated by the diesel idling of our bus one floor below. A good time for reflection.

Today we’ll have our closing clinic. The obligatory post op check ups but also a chance for one last personal connection with some of new friends. As a photographer I seek out the emotions concurrent with the medicalness of the mission. A touch, a glance, a gentle kiss.

I feel privileged to have recorded so many of those moments during our time in Venezuela. I also recognize the obligation to honor the dignity of those whose stories I have shared in words and photos.

Yesterday, Carmen returned to the hospital for some additional treatment and one of the volunteers was showing her the earlier blog post with the photos and story of her palate surgery. She was proud to have given me permission to share those personal images with you.

We exchanged e-mail addresses so I could send her a Spanish language speech therapy guide. With her newly closed palate and some practice her speech should improve dramatically. We also exchanged hugs. So goes another successful Rotaplast mission. Until next time…  

Jerry Meshulam, Photojournalist

From the Mission Director

I have been honored to be the mission director here in Barquisimeto for this 2010 Rotaplast mission. I would like to acknowledge Mario Vegas and Aquilis Perez who have been instrumental in arranging all needed logistics for us to help our team focus on our goals.

They have exceeded our expectations in making sure we were made to feel welcomed here as we set about our efforts. And we also want to acknowledge the Venezuela Rotaplast volunteers for their work to insure the success of our mission. We at Rotaplast want to leave the people of this great community with this promise, that we will continue to strive for our goal that all children, wherever they may be, will someday have the gift of a beautiful smile.

This smile will hopefully provide them with a better chance at realizing their dreams and goals of a better future and help them lead a more fulfilling life. I want to personally thank each member of my team who came here with me and worked so hard to achieve the goals of this mission.

I have been humbled and honored to be your director. Each and every one of you has been vital to this effort. As we end this mission please know that our work is never done and it is our hope to return this way again. To again touch more children’s lives and continue this great calling that we at Rotaplast have before us.

Brian Walker, Mission Director

"Take care of my son first"

Pedro and his wife, Dann Mari were waiting for us at the hospital with their son, Dubert, first thing Monday morning. Although it was the sixth day of our mission and the 11th time Rotaplast has come to Barquisimeto, they had just heard about it from a friend who saw a story in the newspaper.

One look at this proud family was all it took to know that we had to adjust the surgery schedule to make room them. Pedro is a farmer, hours away by bus, and it was a real hardship for them to get to the hospital. His first concern was for Dubert, the fifth of their eight children and the only with a cleft.

Patients cannot eat or drink anything on the day of surgery and Pedro met that condition.He was added to the surgery schedule for later the same day. Throughout the intake exam, Dubert was constantly hiding his face, a common stance for children his age who prefer not to be seen with their cleft lip. He was added for the following day.

The next morning during rounds, our medical director Dr. Anne Delaney handed her mirror to Dann Mari to hold up for her husband. Pedro is a man of very few words, no doubt owing to his cleft palate, but his touch on her arm and his eyes spoke volumes.

This morning, father and son were healing together in the same hospital room. I walked past the doorway and got a thumbs up from Pedro.

Jerry Meshulam, Photojournalist

Beverly Hills 90210

Beverly Hills Rotarians (photo left to right) Dr. Anthony Sokol, Jerrie Heslov, Tamara Leider and Adam Heller and  are now on Day Ten of a life changing Rotaplast Mission in Barquisimeto, thanks to our club sponsoring a Rotary International Grant in support of the mission.

Through the good work of Rotaplast and its volunteers we are witnessing first hand how what we take for granted daily is not the norm everywhere. From getting to know our selfless team of hardworking volunteers, through the smiles of joy on the faces of parents seeing their children for the first time after surgery, and hosted by an amazing group of local Rotaplast volunteers, this has been a life altering experience…..one not to be missed. 

We are looking forward to joining future missions, and hope that our messages will encourage others to support Rotaplast.

Jerrie Heslov, Medical Records

Top 11 Things I Learned During My Venezuelan Vacation

Yes, there’s an extra bonus thing!

Text and photos by John Street, Assistant Quartermaster

Number 11:  When one of our favorite veteran patient/volunteers yells, “Wash up!” he’s not ordering me to go scrub or take a shower, as I first thought.  It’s just a friendly greeting that we usually pronounce as, “What’s up?” 

Number 10:  Working with the Rubik’s Cube that I brought to Venezuela seems to relieve stress for some of the staff in the Operating Rooms.

Number 9:  Playing with the Frisbees that I brought to Venezuela would not reduce stress for anyone in an OR.

Number 8:  You can win Head Nurse Debbie’s undying love just by giving her a wad of cotton from the inside of a pill bottle.  She’ll take off running to Dr. Diane to get it sterilized.

Number 7:  You should not get on the wrong side of Nurse Barbara, because she knows how to break your nose.

Number 6:  A mosquito can be either curved or straight.  I don’t worry about that; I just try to kill them when I see them.

Number 5:  Two things about surgical masks:  When I have to wear one, someone usually offers me M&Ms, which I have to forgo with great sadness.  When other people wear them, you really can see smiles and laughter in their eyes. 

Number 4:  Counting out 8,000 pills into packets of 100 should qualify me to be a Registered Pharmacist.  I’ve sent for the license, but it seems to be really slow in coming.

Number 3:  At Rotaplast, performing the most exacting and delicate surgery pays the same as counting out 8,000 pills into packets of 100.  Ain’t life grand?

Number 2:  Despite having the toughest problems to overcome, the little kids at Hospital Central Universitario Dr. Antonio Maria Pineda are endearingly cute and fun to be around.

And now for the Number One Thing I learned during my Venezuelan vacation:

In a practical sense – and that’s all that really counts – there are very few activities on the planet that are as important as what Rotaplast does.  This is the experience of a lifetime!

Rotary supporting the mission

From our first day in Barquisimeto, Rotary president Enedina Suárez has been there in the clinic welcoming everyone in her warm and friendly way – our sunshine lady. Her ever-present lists are being checked to see that the patients who were called two days prior to surgery have arrived.

This is her year as president of Valle de Turbio (1 of 6 clubs in the city). At the meeting that eight of us attended last evening at the Principe Hotel the twenty members, 10 ladies and 2 gentlemen, discussed projects besides their Rotaplast involvement.

The nutrition projects, transportation services for patients young and old and clean water are similar to what we have going in the USA. This Wednesday they will bring homemade lunch for 40 patients and their families – quite an undertaking. We were introduced to the president-elect, VP and incoming asst. district governor and two of the four dentistas.

Upcoming conferences were discussed for PETS, leadership and district. President Enedina and her members were very welcoming and lots of fun.

Dentista Gary Howard
Past President Rotary Club of Yarmouth, Maine
District 7780

Closure: A beautiful outcome

[Notice: This post contains graphic surgical photos]

Dr. David Morwood and Carmen, the day after surgery

Carmen has lived for 35 years with a cleft palate. She has three brothers and a sister, but she is the only one in her family with a cleft. When she was born the doctor advised her parents that she should have surgery to repair the cleft - usually done at about age two if medical treatment and money are available - but her father was afraid that she would die from the operation.

She accepted her father's determination and carried on with her life. The cleft in her palate meant the roof of her mouth was open to her nasal passage making it impossible to speak clearly. She was left to suffer the teasing in school. Food and drink would also leak out of her nose if she weren't extremely careful.

Carmen lives in the nearby town of Cercado with her five-year old son and works at a gift shop. She wants to help her son learn to read to but it's difficult because she can't properly pronounce some of the words. A friend told her about the great doctors with Rotaplast and helped allay her fears about the surgery.

Her father, who also lives with her, was still not happy she was having the operation and is one of only a few people who know about it. Carmen has been accompanied at the hospital by her sister-in-law. She is excited to surprise her family and friends with her life-changing news. During our interview, Carmen's eyes showed great joy and relief.

She'll remain in the hospital for another day or two as she heals but she conveyed in a post-surgical soft voice how grateful she is for the caring Rotaplast doctors and volunteers and for the wonderful experience she's had.

Dr. David Morwood performed the surgery lasting about two hours, along with Dr. Elizabeth Bales, anesthesiologist and OR nurse David Sparks. Dr. Morwood suggested that an adult size mouth would make it easy to see the dramatic effects.

Very wide cleft of the soft palate and partial hard palate

Mobilizing flaps of tissue to close the cleft

Cleft is completely closed. The dark space is a surgical foam that prevents bleeding. The foam will dissolve in a few days and the tissue will regenerate and fill in the space.

Jerry Meshulam, Photojournalist

Whatever it takes

Estrella and Ismael were waiting for us when we arrived at the hospital this morning at 6:30, cradling 16 month old Carlos. They read in the newspaper that Rotaplast might be able to repair Carlos’ cleft lip and palate, but they didn’t make it for the opening clinic.

Estrella left their farm in Buena Vista Friday for an 8-hour round trip bus ride to the hospital to ask the guard at the gate if there was chance that Carlos could still be seen. She was told to come back the next morning.

Estrella and Ismael scrape by growing potatoes and onions, keeping some and selling the rest. They didn’t want to take a chance on missing us Saturday morning, so they sold their television to pay for a ride, leaving their house at 4:00 a.m.

 Carlos got his medical exam first thing but he will have to come back next week for the surgery. The Venezuelan volunteers will help them in the meantime with clothes, food and medicine.

Jerry Meshulam, Photojournalist

Two more views from the operating room

I could only imagine what my experience in Barquisimeto would be like, being a first time member of a Rotaplast team. The only person I talked to before my trip was a physician I work with at my hospital back home, who has been on many missions himself.

He is the one that encouraged me to apply to Rotaplast saying it would be an experience of a lifetime and that I would be signing up for another mission as soon as I returned home. I know already that he was right! Our hours are long but the day zooms by. The staff and the local volunteers are such a cohesive, hard working and genuine group.

All of our patients from the children to the young adults, and their families, are so appreciative. The surgeries we have been doing are producing wonderful results. My Spanish is even improving. I now know how to say chocala cinco, high-five, the little kids laugh and give me five.

Barbara Doucette, OR Nurse

We are just about at the halfway point here in Barquisimeto. The local volunteers and medical staff have been great, making us feel like we’re at home, in their home. Our Rotaplast volunteer and medical staff have been working hard as well, helping all the babies and families.

The hard work and time away from our own families and loved ones really pays off at the end of the trip. That’s when we see all the patients we’ve worked so hard to help. Thank you to all my family and friends back home who have been, and are currently helping and supporting me while I’m gone. God bless,

David Sparks, OR Nurse

Tamara Leider: First, hugs

I struggle to find words to convey how deeply humbling it is for me to spend time with the children at the hospital. One look into their eyes and I immediately see and feel their entire experience of living with a cleft lip or palate. I sense their pain, frustration and anxiety. I also sense their courage, patience, hope and joy.

This touches my heart beyond expression and I feel honored to bear witness to it. This is my first trip on a medical mission with Rotaplast. I am an early childhood educator and pre-school director so it seemed natural for me to volunteer to be with the children before and after surgery playing, connecting, creating and laughing together.

However, on my first morning I found myself feeling unsure and concerned as I walked toward the children’s ward. Would the children want to spend time playing with me, or would they be too worried to leave their rooms or parents? How would we communicate with each other with only a few obscure Spanish words in my repertoire?

As I walked down the hallway, peeking through their room windows, I smiled and waved to the children and their parents. They smiled and waved back at me, reminding me that with true communication no words are necessary. I got halfway down the hall before I felt little arms hugging my waist. Turning around I saw a pretty eleven year old girl smiling up at me with bright brown eyes. I hugged her back and Bezabeth and I walked hand-in-hand back to the play area.

Her personality is as bright as her eyes and although the other children came and went as they wanted, Bezabeth stayed by my side until she was called to surgery in the afternoon. She read Spanish children’s books to me and had me repeat words, correcting me as needed. She colored over a dozen pictures for me with both of our names written on them encircled with hearts. We joked around with each other, laughing and hugging.

The next morning my first visit was to Bezabeth’s room. She lay in her bed with a white bandage wound around her head, dried blood showing through below her right ear. There were stitches around her nose and lip, oozing a bit. An IV was in her arm and she looked exhausted and in pain. I touched her arm gently and she looked up at me and said hello with her eyes. I kissed her cheek and left her to rest.

No way would I see her in the play area today, I thought to myself as I headed that way. Half an hour later, in came Bezabeth. Slowly, being helped along by her mother, she made her way toward me – IV and all. She sat down beside me and leaned on my shoulder. I held her and this time I read her favorite book in Spanish to her. I knew she was in pain and would be more comfortable in bed but she wanted to stay with me. So together we sat until she was discharged. We said good-bye the same way we met – in the hall – hugging each other.

Tamara Leider, Recreational Therapist