Rotaplast Missions

Closing clinic & farewell party with the hospital staff & team

 
We arrived at the hospital on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with our patients and families anxiously waiting for us. Dr. Capozzi was eagerly greeted by one of his patients. During the clinic, the surgeons and pediatricians assess each patient's progress, and would exam the surgical site. The children were excited, vibrant, and still a bit dazed from what they had undergone. There were big smiles (sonrisas grandes) throughout the morning. Everyone knew that they were part of something special that occurred during the mission. Rotaplast provided hope for our patients and families, and by doing so, changed the lives of these people forever.

After our two weeks of hard work, we enjoyed a farewell party with the hospital staff in the former PACU recovery room. A little bit a teasing occurred for two of the team members. During the mission, Dr. Shad Misseldine became engaged so the team gave him a "bachelor" party with the gift of a pinata.

   
 

We also wanted to "recognize" our sterilizer, Neal Bordenave from the Chico Rotary Club. The job of sterilizer is a lonely but important job. The sterilizer is constantly at work preparing the sterile trays that contain all of the surgical tools for each procedure. While Neal was sterilizing, he would be listening to an audio book "Surgery for Dummies" on his iPod, and not get very many breaks (henceforth the diapers on Super Man). Neal's pinata reflects how the team perceived his position of "Super Man-the sterilizer". Thanks Neal for taking the team's abuse!

 

Our San Salvador Rotarian hosts supplied a beautiful cake which ws enourmous! It ws enough for the staff, team & the pediatric unit with the children. Rotaplast & Rotary unite for the opportunity to change lives.

Medical Director, Dr. Jim Callison using his honed surgical skills to cut the cut. Rotarian Dick Burkhalter is assisting.

  Bonnie, Dr. JIm & Nurse Janice enjoying the farewell celebration.

Our patients and families waiting at the clinic for their visit with the doctors for followup.

 

 

There were clowns to entertin the children as they waited for their visit at the clinic.

 The clowns were 2 fathers of previous Rotaplast patients.

 

The team packed up while the El Salvadorin army packed up the boxes so that we could get to the airport for departure. Our hearts & thoughts are with the Rotaplst still in Guatemala due to the volcano & the hurricane.
 
  

 

Our last day in San Salvador- Clinic Day & departure day

     
 
 
 
"When you change a man's face you almost invariably change his future.  A plastic surgeon does not simply alter a man's face. He alters the man's inner self.  The incisions frequently cut deep into the psyche."  The quote is by Dr. Maltz who is a plastic surgeon who did a lot of work with individuals with cleft lip and palates. As we conclude our mission, we review our time here in San Salvador and genuflect. We as a team, changed many lives during our visit, but we are changed also. We started our journey with 39 boxes and 29 strangers. We finished our journey with 19 boxes and 29 friends. What a great trip in so many ways. We learned about each others children and grandchildren over shared meals, a few quiet moments in the hallway or break room, or maybe a drink together. The Rotarian members of the team were exposed to Rotary International on a global scale. Our Rotarian hosts opened their hearts and homes to us. We have opportunities to co-partner with the local Rotary clubs with their projects through grants.

Day 8 of surgery (5/28)-1 surgery today/80 completed/multiple procedures

       
Medical Director Jim Callison with surgical nurses Jeanne Kille (Sandy, Utah) and Janice Crowder (Phoenix, AZ.) getting ready for surgery with Luis Alexander Martinez for  lip revision. Luis' family found out about Rotaplast on the television. They traveled for 6 hours by bus from a small town known as Onente Anamores, tiny in comparison to San Salvador. They stayed with friends the evening before, and were our last "walk in". Luis had surgery and his mother is feeding him in recovery the next morning.

The day is filled with morning rounds of the post surgical patients, only 1 surgery on the schedule, and then on to packing up for our return home on Saturday. QuarterMaster Dick Burkhalter, Assistant QM and Mission Director need to get the boxes packed and ready for the return flight. We started the journey with 35 boxes and will be returning with 19 boxes.  Rotarian Bo Morse (San Ramon Valley RC) exchanging Rotary banners with a the Santa Tecla RC.
  
  

We found out about the volcano eruption in Guatemala. Our best wishes to the Rotaplast team in Guatemala for a safe & speedy return.

Day 7 of surgery- 14 surgeries today /67 completed

 

 The medical team discussing the day's caseload of 14 surgeries! 

Today is our busiest day yet with 14 surgeries scheduled. We also have a visiting dignitary today, Mr. Robert Blau: Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America San Salvador. Currently there is no Ambassador in El Salvador.

Mr. Robert Blau arrived in San Salvador on July 2, 2008 to serve as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy, and he assumed the responsibility of Charge d' Affaires on January 20, 2009.  He was previously the Deputy Director for Cuban Affairs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, following a two-year assignment at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs.  In that position he won the Department’s James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence, based on his support for the Cuban democratic opposition.

From 2002-2005, Mr. Blau served as the Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs in Lisbon, Portugal, where he met and married his wife, Carmen, who at the time was a diplomat from a NATO ally country.  Prior to his posting in Lisbon, Mr. Blau was the Director of the Office of Bosnia Implementation (2000-2001) in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.  His other overseas posts include Panama City, Panama; Brasilia, Brazil; Conakry, Guinea; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Mission Director Tom Fox with Robert Blau & the 1st Airborne. Dr. Jim Callision prepping Mr. Blau for surgery.

 

 Surgical nurse Janice Crowder explaining surgery to Mr. Blau, Tom Fox & Rocky Burrell.

 Mr. Blau (escorted by the 1st Airborne) were invited into Dr. Bill De Shazo's surgery. Emblazoned on Dr. Bill's scrub cap in BOLD letters "NAVY". We all had a good laugh with that coincidence.

 

Day 7 of surgery- 14 surgeries today /67 completed

 The medical team discussing the day's caseload of 14 surgeries! 

Today is our busiest day yet with 14 surgeries scheduled. We also have a visiting dignitary today, Mr. Robert Blau: Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America San Salvador. Currently there is no Ambassador in El Salvador.

Mr. Robert Blau arrived in San Salvador on July 2, 2008 to serve as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy, and he assumed the responsibility of Charge d' Affaires on January 20, 2009.  He was previously the Deputy Director for Cuban Affairs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, following a two-year assignment at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs.  In that position he won the Department’s James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence, based on his support for the Cuban democratic opposition.

From 2002-2005, Mr. Blau served as the Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs in Lisbon, Portugal, where he met and married his wife, Carmen, who at the time was a diplomat from a NATO ally country.  Prior to his posting in Lisbon, Mr. Blau was the Director of the Office of Bosnia Implementation (2000-2001) in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.  His other overseas posts include Panama City, Panama; Brasilia, Brazil; Conakry, Guinea; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Mission Director Tom Fox with Robert Blau & the 1st Airborne. Dr. Jim Callision prepping Mr. Blau for surgery.

 

 Surgical nurse Janice Crowder explaining surgery to Mr. Blau, Tom Fox & Rocky Burrell.

 Mr. Blau (escorted by the 1st Airborne) were invited into Dr. Bill De Shazo's surgery. Emblazoned on Dr. Bill's scrub cap in BOLD letters "NAVY". We all had a good laugh with that coincidence.

 

Day 6 of surgery- 12 surgeries today /53 completed

  

 

 Each day we are greeted with cheery faces at the hospital upon our arrival. Please meet Sandra Ireheta (a local Rotarian) and Dr. Diaz ( Dr. Diaz is a general in the San Salvador military) who administrates the Hospital Militar. Sandra  & her husband Jorge (along with all the other Rotarians & spouses)  make sure the team has lunch each day for the team and our hospital support staff. Sandra and her gang made sure that the team had plenty of snacks & goodies, (fresh baked pastries!) The team began to complain that their scrubs were getting tight! Thank you to everyone who worked to ensure the success of this mission.

   
  
Today we had a "walk-in" that was not previously seen at pre-clinic where the patients were initially screened. This family consisted of a the parents, the grandmother, the child, Maria Vasquez (3 months old) who was in need of cleft lip surgery. With the assistance of Mission translator Amelia Ward (Redding Rotary), I interviewed the family. They had left their home in Carton Cacao Conchaque the day before and traveled 6 hours by bus and stayed with friends the previous evening).. Lilia, Maria's mother had just learned of the Rotaplast mission from a woman who sells vegetables in her village. Lilia was able to make contact with the hospital and spoke with Dr. Diaz. Lilia is 25 years old and has 6 children, and 5 of the children being healthy. Lilia's husband is a farm worker and Lilia is a housewife. Amelia explained that it is traditional for women to wear veils in the more rural areas. Maria is scheduled for surgery later in the week.

Day 6 of surgery- 12 surgeries today /53 completed

 

 Each day we are greeted with cheery faces at the hospital upon our arrival. Please meet Sandra Ireheta (a local Rotarian) and Dr. Diaz ( Dr. Diaz is a general in the San Salvador military) who administrates the Hospital Militar. Sandra  & her husband Jorge (along with all the other Rotarians & spouses)  make sure the team has lunch each day for the team and our hospital support staff. Sandra and her gang made sure that the team had plenty of snacks & goodies, (fresh baked pastries!) The team began to complain that their scrubs were getting tight! Thank you to everyone who worked to ensure the success of this mission.

Today we had a "walk-in" that was not previously seen at pre-clinic where the patients were initially screened. This family consisted of a the parents, the grandmother, the child, Maria Vasquez ( 3 months old) who was in need of cleft lip surgery. With the assistance of Mission translator Amelia Ward, I interviewed the family. They had left their home in Carton Cacao Conchaque the day before and traveled 6 hours by bus. Lilia, Maria's mother had just learned of the Rotaplast mission from a woman who sells vegetables in her village. Lilia was able to make contact with the hospital and spoke with Dr. Diaz. Lilia is 25 years old and has 6 children, and 5 of the children being healthy. Lilia's husband is a farm worker and Lilia is a housewife. Amelia explained that it is traditional for women to wear veils in the more rural areas. Maria is scheduled for surgery later in the week.

Day 5 (5/24), 4th Day of surgeries- 9 completed today/41 total

  
 
The team making morning rounds in pediatrics for the post operative patients.

 

The day started off with our breakfast at the hotel at 6 a.m. with a departure for the hospital at 7 a.m. The surgeons would complete their rounds immediately upon arrival at the Hospital Miltar, with the pediatricians evaluating post surgical patients. After rounds, everyone would prepare for the day's new surgical patients. This would begin with gathering the patient's medical file, getting the patients weighed & evaluated & prepped for pre-surgery, and easing the patient's and parent's unrest with something a simple as a teddy bear or a Beanie baby. Post op included a handmade quilt for the patient.

 
   

   

This is the reason that the team works so hard. Look into the eyes of this child, or any child involved with a Rotaplast mission. You will feel personally responsible to ensure that this child has an opportunity for a more hopeful future, without the burden of a cleft palate or cleft lip anomaly, and the best experience with Rotaplast. Every member of the team feels the same way, and works together and assists wherever & whenever necessary.
  
  

 Meet recovery room nurses Judy Farrington (Bozeman, MT) & Sandra Chase (Seattle, WA.) with Salvador their PA CU interpreter. I asked Salvador about his experience volunteering for the Rotaplast Mission, and his reasons for volunteering 2 weeks which included very long days. Salvador feels the drive to give back. He had volunteered as a missionary in Haiti prior to the earthquake. His friend who was volunteering with him went ahead to Haiti, when Salvador's paperwork was delayed. Unfortunately, Salvador's friend perished in the hotel they were scheduled to stay in was demolished. Fortunately, Salvador's delay with his paperwork saved him, for what he explains will be a life of community service. He is quite certain that his destiny lies in helping others. Salvador is an invaluable asset interpreting between the nurses, patient's and parents in the recovery room, immediately following surgery. Salvador would soothe the patients as they awoke from surgery, being able to speak to the patient in their native language, as well as providing the nurses the ability to communicate effectively.

 

San Salvador: Day 4 Meet Team Member Bonnie Dwyer

 A personal story by Bonnie Dwyer, Recovery Room assistant & quilter & a great team member

Clinic Day-Faces

What an amazing life adventure I am having, and how privileged I feel to be here in San Salvador. What profound faces I have seen. It is a Rotaplast mission, so of course it is all about the faces. I expected to see all levels of cleft palate & cleft lip anomalies and felt prepared for that. What I was not prepared for was the faces of the parents. Oh how those weary faces looked. Faces that were dazed and disoriented, as they handed us their most beloved treasure, their child. Faces that were overwhelmed, only wanting the best for their child. An air of uncertainty hung in the air in this hot, humid climate. Faces with smiles, but unable to mask the strain. Did I detect fear? Perhaps a bit, but the reflection I saw most was the longing these parents have for the miracle of health and wholeness for their children. These faces carried the look of desire for their child’s future filled with hope.

Rotaplast provides a miracle of wholeness, and the promise of hope. Rotaplast has changed the face of the future as well as the child's face.

Bonnie has a special place in the team's heart, as well as the hearts of the children & the parents. Bonnie and her quilting guild, the Diablo Valley quilters, provided 129 quilts for the mission. The ladies spent an entire year making the quilts for our mission. Each quilt was made with much love and designed for each child. Upon arrival in the recovery room, a nurse or Bonnie would search for that perfect quilt for the child to keep them warm, and to wrap them in love for their recovery and to take home with them. The quilt made this child feel special, and to let them know that someone cares about them. Whether it was  girl or a boy, no mater what age, there was a quilt that was perfect for them to take home. Many thanks to Bonnie & her happy quilters. Hats off to Bonnie & her crew. Bonnie's husband Jon is the president of the Benicia Rotary Club. Thank you Jon for letting us borrow Bonnie for two weeks. She will return home a better person and realizing how much difference a quilt can make in one's life. Sometimes a very small act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone's life, but Rotarians already know that. Thank you Bonnie.This is Bonnie's 1st mission, but I think she is hooked!

We have so many people to thank for the succes of this mission. The team sends its heartfelt thanks, we couldn't do it without you!

San Salvador: Day 3

Saturday was a lighter day than expected, so the team was able to spend some time getting acquainted.  Mission Director Tom Fox with Rotarian & Ward coordinator Nancy Garver getting ready for  our third day of surgery. Rotarians Bo Morse (photo journalist) & Amelia Ward (translator) getting ready to see patients.